Frivolous and Necessary
by WistfulSin
Summary: A compilation of side stories and/or prompts that aren't a part of any currently in progress story, even if they use the same characters. Mostly smut, probably. Rated M because reasons. Each chapter will have a description at the top. Chapter 21: Rescue Mission- In which Hiei is tasked with rescuing a kidnapped Kurama. Rated T (AU/A little OOC)
1. Chapter 1

**YYHFanFiction on Tumblr had a NSFW Prompt Palooza yesterday with a ton of great ideas! This is based on prompt #2 "Hiei watches his partner lick the cum off her fingers post facial. It gears him up immediately for the next round." Enjoy? It's been a while since I've written any level of smut.**

* * *

 **Bon Appetite**

Fingers curled into thick, soft strands of fiery red, a desperate attempt to control Shinpi's movements that went entirely unheeded as she offered a throaty growl and proceeded to do as she pleased. Hiei still wasn't accustomed to the wolf demoness's persistence. Moaning, the deep sound clawing from the back of his throat, he let her have her way but his hands remained tangled in her hair on the back of her head.

The woman was relentless. Her mouth worked him over as if she'd never _not_ known which flick of her tongue might hitch his breathing or how hard to suck to get him to make _that_ sound again. Hiei's eyes rolled up, the pressure nearing its threshold.

"Shinpi." The throaty demand said everything.

Forcing himself from the haze to look down at her as she worked, her lips wrapped around his cock, hand cupping his balls, he thought he spotted a smirk. It was hard to tell, but there was definitely a spark in her eyes. Those cobalt eyes peered up at him, filled fire, and his widened in response before snapping closed as she took his length fully.

He didn't miss the chuckle she offered as he called out, swearing in drawn out moan of the feel of her hot mouth as she took him into her throat twice more.

This woman, goddammit, what was he going to do with her?

Ideas began to form as quickly as the question had entered his mind. A laundry list he'd been harboring for a while now. Perhaps better called a bucket list? His grip on her hair tightened, the images of Shinpi splayed out, begging for him, fizzling into nonexistence as his breathing began to pick up.

"Shinpi." Another demand.

Hiei never begged. This was as close as she'd ever gotten him to it, making him repeat her name like saying it would force her to give him what he wanted.

Definitely a smirk, he thought, eying her again through lust-hazy eyes. The wench.

Another guttural moan, more earnest as she twisted her head in small motions, the new angles of her tongue leading him to ruin. Her hands worked too, one massaging his sac as the other circled the base of his cock. In an impossibly slow motion, she drew her mouth up his length, the flat of her tongue playing along the underside of his dick, until only the tip remained in her mouth. Her hand worked him and Hiei glared at her, daring her to leave him undone this way.

That blue fire again. Nothing but trouble, this woman.

But she didn't stop her ministrations, her hand working his length as she focused on his head, tongue swirling. She didn't pull back until his breathing turned jerky, pants coming out in irregular patterns. Hiei moaned his release, tossing his head back to mourn the loss of the heat of her mouth as well as relish in the sensation of his orgasm. His hands fell from her hair to the bed to keep him upright.

Swallowing, Hiei lulled his forward to peer down at the demoness kneeling between his legs. Crimson eyes, still hazy with satisfaction, widened slightly at the sight of her. Pupils immediately blown as a wave of heat cycled through his blood.

Face streaked with his seed, Shinpi swept her tongue from the underside of his cock to the head, pulling it back into her mouth before releasing it with a satisfied smack of her lips. Cobalt eyes gazed up at him through dark lashes, the fringe of her bangs doing nothing to hide her satisfaction from him. Making Hiei succumb to her was a favorite game, one he happily partook in.

Reaching up, Shinpi ran her thumb over the wetness of her cheek, pulling the slicked digit into her mouth and closing her eyes as she savored the flavor.

Hiei swallowed again, unable to blink as he watched her clean her face in this manner. One finger at a time, drug through his cum, then licked clean by her masterful tongue and pulled into her mouth by petal pink lips. He knew a challenge when she presented one, and this was definitely a challenge, but he waited to act on it.

He'd learned that biding his time with his wolf girl could have the best consequences.

"That look suits you." Hiei commented, a devious expression claiming his features.

"I'm sure." She agreed, putting her feet under her and standing up. She walked over to her bedside table and used a tissue to wipe at the rest of her face.

Hiei got to his feet too, something she noted with pursed lips as she listened to the mattress creak from his shifted weight.

"I must've lost my touch, you don't normally recover this fast." Shinpi complained mildly, a small pout pulling at her bottom lip. She'd been sure she had sent him to a daze.

"Just the opposite." Hiei growled against the cup of her ear, his teeth catching her lobe as his hands worked the button on her pants. "Seeing you so beautifully decorated gave me a second wind."

From the readiness of his erection pressing against her from behind, she had to concur. Breathless, Shinpi swallowed as his hand found its way into her pants, the other under her shirt. He hummed as his fingertips played over her already slick folds, satisfaction brimming the sound as she arched her back and spread her legs for him.

"I should leave you like this, since you're so interested in teasing me." Hiei worked his mouth down her neck, drawing small sounds of the woman. "I should make you _wait_."

She moaned, eyes closed as he pushed one, then two fingers into her while his other hands played with her nipple, pinching, twisting lightly.

"Do you think you can make it through dinner with the others like this? My hand in your in lap but not touching you?" Hiei went on, and this was his favorite game. "I think I'd like to see this flush on your face at the table, the others all wondering if you're ill when really you just desperately want me to fuck you."

Because he never actually managed to leave Shinpi wanting, but she always believed he would. Maybe someday he'd have the strength of will, but that was not today.

" _Hiei, please_." The strangled moan made him growl as his thumb circled her clit.

Music to his ears, her pleas. He could have listened to them all night, but he'd reminded himself they had a dinner engagement and after the haze wore off she'd accuse him of using her to get out of it.

"Only because you asked so nicely." Hiei hummed against her neck, his hand withdrawn from her pants to force the material down her hips to her knees.

Something about fucking Shinpi with clothes on just did _something_ to him. Really, if he wanted to be honest, he'd admit that anything to do with fucking the woman did _something_ to him. Clothes on, off, planned, spontaneous, quick, slow. It didn't matter. If he had a chance to be inside her, he'd take it.

And oh, did he have an opportunity now.

"Bend over." Hiei ordered and Shinpi didn't argue. He smirked as she planted her feet on the floor and hinged at the hips to bend over the edge of the bed. Running his hand over her bared ass he gave one cheek a smack, watching with glee as the action sent a shock through the woman beneath him.

She glared at him, looking back as her other cheek pressed into the sheets. It didn't hide the flush on her face or the heat in her eyes. Hiei licked his lips at the expression, watching as her teeth caught her lip. Leaning over her from behind, the tip of his cock pressing to her entrance he pulled her hair away from her face.

"Keep looking at me like that and we are definitely going to be late for dinner." Hiei warned her, and before she could mutter a reply, he pushed into her slowly, watching as her lips fell open and her lashes fluttered closed. A throaty groan mingled with her panting breath.

He pulled back, releasing her hair and taking hold of her hips. Relishing in every small sound and lost moan, but especially in her mindless declarations of what felt good to her, Hiei took her from behind. Watching himself pull in and out, then crimson eyes would trail to Shinpi's face. He obliged her every whimpered demand.

Harder, faster, _Hiei please_.

By the time her orgasm shook her, his name a broken cry on her lips, her breathing ragged and those pretty hands fisted in the sheets pulling the fabric from the corners of the mattress, Hiei was pounding into her relentlessly. His hand between their bodies, fingers torturing her clit. He wasn't far behind her, erratic rhythm only ceasing when he pushed himself as deep as he could into her and came, grunting with the effort.

Another string of curses falling from his mouth as he fought to regain control of his breath and his mind. Shinpi writhed under him, back arched as she pressed back into him. It took a few moments for either of them to come back to their senses. Hiei pulled out of her slowly, watching the motion with great interest. Another satisfied sigh stole from his lungs.

She didn't say anything as she stood up, drawing Hiei into a sleepy kiss. Hiei wrapped his arms around her, pleased when she nuzzled her head against his chest, her fingers tracing his collarbone.

"Shower." She muttered and he chuckled. "Are we late?"

"Probably." He shrugged. "They'll wait."

"Rude." Shinpi tried to chastise but the haze that had made liquid of her bones had also softened the sharpness of her tongue.

Watching Shinpi try to function after a good orgasm always made Hiei feel _particularly_ proud. The wolf demoness usually stood tall, commanded control of every situation, and elucidated like a philosopher of yore. After sex with him though? She became a barely functioning mess for at least fifteen minutes, if he'd done the job right.

And from the way she leaned on him, he'd excelled.


	2. Chapter 2

**The Dragon's Keep**

 **A/N: Loosely based on the idea of a manga I recently read about a Yakuza deferring payment in exchange for having sex with the love interest. Incredibly AU but hopefully in character? This is new territory for me. Also, lots of dirty talk. Sorry for typos, I did this quickly before heading to work. I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you liked it, what you liked, what you didn't, etc!**

* * *

"So, you see, your old man owes us a lot of money. And he needs to pay his debt."

Blue eyes scanned over the speaker, expression dull with a hint of annoyance. "Good luck on your search for him."

"You don't seem to get it. We're not going anywhere." The man went on, again, explaining the unfortunate situation Iruni had found herself in. "If he can't pay, _you_ will."

The same blue eyes stared at him with the same expression as before, before roving over the faces of the two men flanking him. Tall, well-built, black suits. Just like her father to get her mixed up with the Yakuza. The damn fool. Tilting her head, she ran through a list of options, still scanning her attention over the three men who had invaded her living room.

"I don't remember signing any paperwork." She finally spoke again, annoyed but trying her best to sound cordial. "I'm not legally responsible for my father's idiocy."

"Doesn't matter to me." The guy shrugged. "All I want is my money. I don't really care who it comes from."

"I don't have it."

"Miss Mikamoto, I don't think you're fully grasping the situation you're in." The man spread his hands, displaying his palms to her. "This isn't a negotiation. We will get our money. It's in your best interest to just play along and either find your old man or find the cash."

Iruni leaned back in her chair after setting her teacup on the table. Pursing her lips she stared at him.

"Father will eventually have to come home. You're welcome to wait outside for him." She gestured to the door. "Of course, I have no idea where he is or when he'll be back, but don't let that stop you from waiting."

The man to the left huffed in a way that sounded like a disguised laugh. She drug her eyes to him, noting the white bandana wrapped under his bangs, the bandages peaking from under his sleeve. Unusually colored eyes, a strange red that seemed unnatural. His suit wasn't as well kept as the other two, his hair a spiky mess and he looked less interested in his affairs than his counterparts.

A handsome face for a criminal, she mused.

"You think this is funny?" The front man glared to the left.

"I think we're wasting our time." Came the brusque response.

"If it will get you out of my house, I'll give you what money I have. It's not much." Iruni stood up and the quick movement made all three men tense. She eyed them then went to her bag before returning with a slim handful of bills. "Here."

She handed the money to the front man he laughed at the paltry offering, earning a frown.

"You're going to have to do better than this. If you need to make more cash, I know a brothel that would just _love_ you." He leered at her, openly scanning his lecherous attention down her body then back up to her face slowly. "You look like the sort of girl who could have fun at a place like that."

"You can leave now." She gestured to the door. "You've given me your information. I'll call you if my father comes around."

They stood, and the man on the left looked amused by her cold demeanor. The front man slipped her cash into his pocket. "You be sure to do that. I'm not a patient man and neither is my boss."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind while I continue to have zero control of this situation." Iruni followed them to the door, jerking it open for them. "Be safe in your travels, gentlemen."

They passed through without argument, bidding her a goodnight in vaguely threatening tones. The last man, with the bandana, took an extra second to look her over appraisingly before smirking and following his comrades through the door.

"Hiei. Why don't you give Miss Mikamoto a visit tomorrow?" The front man grumbled.

"If she didn't have money today, she won't have money tomorrow." Hiei lulled his response.

"It wasn't actually a question."

"Understood."

* * *

Iruni Mikamoto didn't have the best luck. She never really had. And if the man waiting on her porch was any indication, that wasn't about to change. Lowering her umbrella under the awning, she shook the rain from the material before reaching into her pocket for her keys, not acknowledging the black suit leaning by her front door.

"You heard from your old man?" He asked, bored.

"No."

"You got money today?"

"No."

"I guessed as much."

She eyed him, pushing the door open. "Well, have a pleasant evening."

Her dismissal earned a faint chuckle from him, but when she went to close the door, he splayed a hand against the wood. He was strong, that much was evident from the way he easily shoved the door back open and stepped over the threshold. Closing it behind him, he moved forward until he was standing over her, expression intimidating as he held eye contact.

"Here's the deal Miss Mikamoto, I have to come here everyday until you or your old man pay up. The longer I have to be here, the more likely it is that I'm going to get _annoyed_. I don't have a great deal of patience. And when I lose my temper, it isn't pretty. So, are you sure you've done everything you need to contact your father?" He continued to stare at her face as she gripped her umbrella tightly to her chest, her head tipped back to look up at him.

It was a lot easier to impress the gravity of the situation now that he wasn't a pipsqueak of five-three. Standing tall at a decent five-eleven had a lot of advantages.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you. I was too busy thinking about how incredibly rude you are to wear your wet shoes in my living room." She blinked, seemingly jerking herself back into the moment. "What were you saying? Something about being sorry for tracking dirt onto my carpet, I hope."

His eyes widened a fraction before softening some, a smirk stealing over his expression.

"You've got a wicked sharp tongue, young lady." He told her, leaning closer. "You might want to be mindful of how you use it."

"I'm fairly certain we're nearly the same age." She shot back.

Looking down her, he had to wonder. She was a petite thing, standing at maybe five-two if he was being generous. Far more likely she was around five-foot-nothing. Her lack of height didn't seem to stop her from thinking she was tough, it seemed. Even her slight build didn't hold her back.

"Someone didn't drink their milk or eat their vegetables." He told her, voice a low rumble. "How old do you think I am, exactly?"

She pulled back, assessed him again, scrutiny scrunching her features for a moment. "Twenty-eight or nine."

Hiei pulled back, surprised by the accuracy of her guess. "Twenty-nine."

"See then, we are about the same age. Only a two-year difference." She lifted her chin. "So stop being disrespectful."

He raised his eyebrows and then nodded, allowing his attention to wander around her home. Sparsely furnished with pieces that were well-worn and probably needed replacing. But it was clean. What little she had was well cared for.

"I get paid on Thursday. I'll give you more money then." She informed curtly. "Hopefully that keeps your temper in check, strange man who welcomed himself into my home."

"Hiei." He offered lightly, looking her over again.

"Your name isn't all that important." She responded callously. "Another black suit, just like your friends from yesterday. And I don't make a habit of talking to piles of clothes."

He grabbed her chin and his hand could have covered her face for their size difference. Bending down to stare into her blue eyes with a mild glare he said, "Now whose being rude."

"You still haven't removed your shoes. That pretty much set the tone for our dynamic." She responded hotly.

"What did I say about that tongue, girl?"

"I assure you, I'm minding each syllable." She assured him and her narrowed eyes pulled another smirk from him.

"I'll take a look around and then leave. Gotta make sure you aren't lying to protect your old man." Hiei kicked off his shoes lazily and headed for the stairs.

Perhaps he hadn't been meant to hear her muttering or maybe she didn't know she'd spoke aloud, but it surprised him all the same.

"Like I'd hide that bastard." She spoke under her breath. "Good riddance."

Hiei made quick work of looking through the small two story home, perusing the rooms with professional haste. By the time he had his shoes back on Iruni had barely had time to make herself a cup of tea.

"See you Thursday, Miss Mikamoto." Hiei stared at her and she ignored him in favor of her teacup and a book settled on her lap. "Try not to let that mouth of yours get you into trouble."

He left, sweeping out into the wet street toward his motorcycle tucked away a space spaces down the road. Glancing back at the house with the lights on only in the living room, he smirked again.

* * *

Thursday came and went with the same sharp banter and an exchange of money as their encounter with each other on Tuesday evening. Iruni came home to find Hiei lounging by her door. She ignored him until he spoke to her, asking for the money. She handed it to him in a white envelope, waiting for him to count it before letting herself into the house. He engaged her with the same questions, she responded in the same manner she had before ("Am I going to have to remind you take off your shoes every time?", and he inspected the house. And just like on Tuesday, she sipped her tea and ignored him when he left.

It became a routine. Iruni would come home from work and Hiei would be there, leaning beside her door. He'd ask the same questions, she'd offer the same answers, and then he'd barge in and invade her home. For the first few weeks he showed up sporadically, but always on Thursdays when she got paid. It could be that she only see him twice a week, or it could be that she saw him every other day. But never twice in a row and rarely in a pattern she'd be able to determine ahead of time. The only constant was Thursday and she was sort of thankful for the regularity of that because at least she'd know what to expect.

The third week he commented on her schedule, noting how easy it was to predict when to be there because she came home the same time every single day. She pointed out that that's generally how jobs worked, and if he had any knowledge of working for an honest living he'd know that.

But this was the fifth week and Iruni had actually gotten home early due to sheer luck. Or, she had thought so until she remembered she wasn't a lucky person and never had been. Pulling out her keys only to find her door pushed ajar reminded her of that.

"Black suit?" She called into the house, pushing the door open while her pulse thundered in her ears. "It's rude to invite yourself into someone's locked home, you know. I hope you don't do this all the time."

No shoes waited by the door, earning a frown from her. Pulling hers off she tried to remember if she'd forgotten to lock the door that morning. Maybe she had? Perhaps the wind had pushed it open? Only it wasn't a particularly windy day.

"Black suit, if you're in here, could you say something?" Iruni gripped the strap of her shoulder bag tightly in her hands before slipping it over her head and setting it quietly by her shoes. No response. "Hello?"

She left the door open as she stepped into the living room, eyes sweeping for anomalies. She heard the creaking on the stairs a little too late, spinning so fast her hair curtained around her. The man on the stairs was not wearing a black suit. Or a bandana. Her eyes widened as she stepped back, eyes moving from him to the door. Could she make it?

"Don't think about it, girly." He tisked and she tensed. Moving down the steps he pushed the door mostly closed. "I don't want to hurt ya more than I hafta."

"You don't necessarily have to hurt me at all. What do you want?" Iruni screamed as a second man grabbed her from behind, arms wrapping around her middle and pinning hers to her sides.

"None of that now." The first man stalked forward, wrapping his palm over her mouth as she continued to try to scream. "See, we were looking for you daddy and he isn't home. He owes us some money, see, and unfortunately it looks like you're the only way to pay the debt."

More debt? But these men weren't Yakuza. Just slime ball loan sharks. Iruni tried to toss her head side to side, attempting to dislodge his hand but his grip tightened.

A rumble in the street beyond the door cut off suddenly, and blue eyes widened as she registered the sound. She'd heard it enough to know what it meant. Did these guys work with him? He said before, hadn't he, that he'd get annoyed having to wait. Maybe he'd called in reinforcements. Her heart hit her ribs, each movement aching as adrenaline made her shake.

"Be a good girl, for your daddy and for us." The man leered at her. "We're going to do you a favor and help you make some money. Some of our friends are really gonna like you."

* * *

Hiei parked his bike and shoved his hands into his pockets, tracing the sidewalk toward Mikamoto's house. As usual none of the lights were on. He had about fifteen minutes before she'd be here, he knew that, but he liked to be waiting when she arrived. If she managed to lock him out it would be irritating.

Stepping onto the porch he moved to settle in his usual spot beside the door when he noticed the gap between the frame and door itself.

 _Open?_ He stared at it, then turned and looked around the street. A van was parked a shortways down. Eyes narrowed he studied it.

Pushing the door open slowly, he looked around the interior, gaze coming to a full stop as it settled on the two men holding the woman in place in her living room. Blue eyes met his, wide with a fear he didn't know she had the sense to possess.

"Ah." Hiei nodded, walking into the space and closing the door behind him.

Without another word he launched at the man holding Mikamoto's face, making short work of throwing him to the ground with a stiff punch to the side of the head. The man behind her dropped his hold, allowing the woman to duck out of the way and run for the door. Hiei palmed the man's face, wrapping his fingers like he would a basketball and used the hold to keep him place while he punched in in the stomach. The first attacker regained his feet, coming up with a knife in his hand.

Iruni thought about opening the door and running into the street. But what then? Turning she saw the knife and her eyes narrowed. No. Running wasn't an option.

She grabbed her umbrella from beside the door and ran back into the living room, using the handle to get a solid hit into the man's back as he slashed Hiei's arm. Swearing, Hiei stepped back, foot sliding into a fighting stance before he unleashed his fury on the two men. Between his height, his strength and his truly _nasty_ temper, they left barely conscious and black and blue.

Iruni stood by the wayside realizing she hadn't really helped at all after they scrambled out of her house. Hiei's breathing heaved as he stood in the center of the room, prepared for another attack by the look of stance and fists. She stepped toward him, the movement edging a creak from the floor and he spun to face her with his eyes wild and hands up. She flinched, tucking her chin down slightly before he'd even gotten close enough to hit her.

He saw the saw she tightened her grip on the umbrella, the immediate acceptance that he was about to strike her.

"You get hit a lot?" His voice sounded rough, any of the usual amusement totally drained from it.

"Not at the moment." She told him, avoiding looking at his face for her obvious embarassment. "It's been over a month, a least."

She didn't have to say it outright, he knew she meant her father. Eyes narrowed, temper still pulsating in his blood, Hiei stomped toward her and ripped the umbrella from her hands.

"Don't ever jump in like that again." He raised his voice and she stared up at him. "What would you have done if he'd stabbed you?"

"I wasn't thinking about that." She admitted quietly.

"Obviously." He pointed out dryly. "Look at you. You're tiny."

"I wasn't just going to let them kill you!" She steeled herself and rose her voice, feet planted. "Two on one isn't fair!"

"You're right. They would have needed two more guys to make it fair for them." Hiei agreed darkly. "Don't do it again."

"I guess I'll have to wait until the next time someone tries to kidnap me to see if I can stick to those terms." She shot back and her voice cracked a little, eyes misting as the stress of the situation hit her in full. "Next time…"

"There won't be a next time." Hiei told her firmly and the resolution in his voice made her look away again. This time her eyes settled on his arm and she gasped as she grabbed the appendage to study the cut. "It's fine."

"We have to clean this!" She shook her head and drug him toward the stairs. "I have a first aid kit in the bathroom. Who knows what that knife has been through. You could get tetanus!"

Hiei indulged her, allowing her to pull him up the stairs by his wrist. Her adamance was almost admirable. When she forced him to sit on the toilet as she tiptoed to reach the kit on the top shelf of the linen closet he smirked. He got up and reached over her, pulling the basket containing the red bag and various bottles down for her and immediately she scolded him and made him sit again.

 _Endearing, that's the word_. Hiei mused to himself, watching her fuss over his minor wound as though his entire arm might fall off any second. Stripping off his jacket and button down, he offered his bandaged arm to her in his black tank top.

He did not miss the jibe about him still wearing his shoes. Heaving a sigh, he kicked them off, staring at her pointedly afterward.

Unwinding the bandages already in place on his arm she dared to ask, "Were you already hurt?"

"No."

She glanced at his face and noted he was watching her with some interest. Nodding, she went back to work and found herself staring at an intricate dragon tattoo. Each scale finely detailed, purple eyes like a mystical fire, it wound around his arm from wrist to bicep. Her fingers traced over the design, her reason for stripping the bandage momentarily lost on her as she studied the artwork. The muscles underneath his skin were well defined, worth their own in detail study, but she remembered suddenly why she was holding his arm and shook herself from her stupor.

Her intense regard for patching him up meant she didn't look at his face. Hiei thought that might be good, since he was staring at her so intently. Her awe at seeing his tattoo warmed him. Some people didn't like them, and fewer liked seeing those in his line of work. Normally the ones who glimpsed his dragon were terminally unlucky. Taking off his shirt for business was a sign things were about to get unfortunate for someone.

It was almost nice that wasn't the case in this moment.

She had soft hands.

"It was Hiei, right?" Iruni asked quietly, dabbing alcohol onto his cut. He glared at the offending liquid before nodding to her question. "Is there an extra fee I have to pay for you protecting me tonight?"

"On the house." He teased, tilting his head. "Although if you were thinking of paying me back, I wouldn't mind."

"Unfortunately some Yakuza are taking all my money." She shrugged and her tone made him chuckle.

His left hand slipped over her hip as she tied off his new bandage, only covering his cut. The action drew her toward him, one hand gripping his bicep while the other planted against his chest to keep herself upright. The way he pulled her hip forced her knee between his thighs, her eyes wide as he looked into them.

"I wasn't talking about money." He breathed the words against her jawline, planting a kiss at the hinge of her jaw he drawled, "Your hands are soft. I bet they'd feel nice wrapped around me."

Iruni swallowed, not sure what was more annoying. His audacity or the fact she was turned on by it. When he kissed her neck again she craned her head back, allowing him ample access which amused him if the chuckle he offered was anything to go by.

"You know, I've noticed the past few times I come that you don't wear bras." Hiei slid his hand from her hip under her shirt, fondling her breast through her bra. The pad of his thumb played over her nipple as his hand invaded the cup, drawing a sigh from her mouth that fed the fire in his blood. "Why is that, Miss Mikamoto?"

"It's my house. If I don't want to wear a bra I don't have to." She grumbled around the soft noises he earned when he massaged her breast while doting on her neck.

He hummed his appreciation. "But you only stopped two weeks ago."

"How can you tell?" She frowned and then moaned as bowed his head, placing his mouth over her nipple and grazing it with his teeth. Her fingers found the hair on the back of his head and curled there, her back arching.

It took him a moment of sucking and nipping at her nipple through her shirt for him to answer her, and when he did finally pull back it was to appraise her flushed cheeks and panting breaths.

"I've been looking." Murmured, diving for her neck and beginning to lavish it with the same affections as he'd shown her breast. "It's distracting, being able to see your nipples under your shirts while you refuse to talk to me. But when you come home, you're wearing a bra. You take it off while I'm here."

"You're more observant than I gave you credit for." She moaned as he trailed down her neck.

He moved her hands from his hair down to his lap, devious smirk making far more attractive than he had any right to be. She looked down at the bulge that had grown between them and stared for a moment, lips parted and lids a little heavy.

"That's a nice expression." Hiei moaned against her ear.

She tentatively undid his belt, almost surprised by her own actions. But she also knew better. Even the first night she'd found Hiei attractive. His demeanor on his return visits had surprised her. She'd expected a brute. She'd received something else, something that made her blood warm and made it hard to sleep at night without indulging herself in senseless fantasies.

Well, from the sight of the erection she freed from his pants, maybe those fantasies had some merit.

Still partially straddling his lap, she circled a hand around his length, surprised when her fingers didn't quite touch at the base of his cock. He moaned, leaning his head back, eyes closing as she gently rubbed her grip over him. A few strokes in and he wrapped her hand around hers, squeezing as he offered her a hazy look.

"You won't break me." He assured her, pumping his hand over hers to demonstrate a few times before releasing her.

"I know it won't break." She shot back at him, blushing.

Her expression combined with his cock in her hand, made him grin at her. After a few more strokes she slid off his lap, releasing her hold.

"What are you doing?" He asked, swallowing the demand he'd nearly uttered for her to finish.

"I'm not very good with my hands." She huffed, sinking to her knees. His eyes widened then snapped closed as he moaned when her tongue slid up the underside of his shaft.

"I was wrong. Your tongue is actually pretty soft." Hiei moaned, a hand snaking into her hair.

She looked him over, his Adam's apple bobbing as he swallowed, eyes closed and mouth open as he moaned when she licked him again. Paying careful attention to his face, she closed her lips over his flushed head, sweeping her tongue over the sensitive skin. The sight of him this way made her squeeze her thighs together.

She'd be using this image tonight, for sure.

Slowly working her way down his length, using her hands as well as her mouth, she sucked him. Each time he moaned or tightened his hand into her hair, she looked up at his face, etching his expressions into her memory. His hand in her hair guided her as his breathing turned irregular, his heavy-lidded eyes glued to the sight of her swallowing as much of his cock as she could.

"I want to go deep." He told her, but it sounded more than like a request.

Pulling back for a brief moment she licked her lips and it made his cock twitch, watching her. Swallowing and rubbing at her jaw, she met his heated gaze.

"Okay. But, just, if I hit your leg let me go." She told him and it sounded like a rule she'd had to put in place.

"I can do that." He nodded and she took him into her mouth again. Sucking up and down his length at her own rhythm until his hand tightened in her hair. "Ready?"

She offered the best nod she could manage, given her position and he thrust forward. _I wish I could take a picture_ , he thought as he watched his length disappear into the hotness of her mouth. Pulling back he allowed her a moment before repeating the motion, one hand locked in her hair. The feral sound that poured him at the sight of her earned a pleased hum from the woman between his legs.

 _I'm going to fuck her_. The thought played on repeat as he fell into a rhythm of fucking her mouth that she seemed content with. Her hand rest on his thigh, fingertips pressing in now and then, but otherwise idle.

"Goddammit woman." Hiei moaned, lost to the sensation. "I'm going to cum soon."

The words made the growing wetness in Iruni's panties a flood of heat, every sound of pleasure from the man above her somehow, impossibly more enticing than the last. Every time he swore she gained another moment of confidence. Honestly, the only reason she was fingering herself at this point was because she needed both hands to work over Hiei's cock.

When was the last time she'd felt so irrevocably attracted to someone? She couldn't recall wanting to be fucked this badly at any other time in her life.

He loosened his grip, allowing her to form her own rhythm again and he neared his climax. Another breathless warning that he was going to cum was all she needed to pull back to show his head all the attention, sucking and licking until his hips bucked. The hot stickiness of his seed rolled over her tongue as she swallowed it, flicking her tongue over his slit until he swore again. Pulling back, she allowed his cock to fall from her lips, eyes hazy as the desperate need to touch herself grew worse. Rolling her tongue over her lips she looked up at Hiei's face.

He stared back with an intimidating expression that held a heated promise.

"Does letting you skullfuck me offer enough gratitude for you saving me?" She asked him and the words made the heat in his eyes grow.

"That's a naughty word coming from you." He growled, rising to his feet as well, stuffing himself back into his pants but not bothering with zipping them up.

From the way she looked at him he didn't think he'd be wearing clothes for much longer anyway. Stepping toward her she stepped back, her back hitting the sink's counter. Hiei reached for her pants, undoing the button and fly easily. She gasped, then moaned as he slid his fingers into her panties.

"You're so wet." He teased her folds with one finger. "I didn't expect a woman like you to like sucking dick so much."

She felt another of heat at his words, her lips parting as his hand wrapped back into her hair and pulled, forcing her to look up at him as he pressed a finger into her center.

"I didn't expect you to like vulgar language either." He crooned, slowly moving his finger in and out of her. "But you do, don't you Miss Mikamoto? You like hearing things like you're good at sucking my cock."

He looked down at her crotch, appreciating the way she clenched around his finger when he said it. Smirking at her, he slowly met her eyes. She moaned at his heated expression, a dangerous fire lighting his unusual irises. Bowing his head over hers he continued to pump his fingers in and out of her core, delighting in the reactions he was getting.

"Your pussy says you _really_ like it." He told her, voice a dark rumble. "I'm glad. Because I have _so much_ to tell you. Like how I'm going to fuck you, right after I make you cum."

She quivered.

"And I'm going to do it over this counter, so you can see yourself enjoying getting fucked by me in the mirror."

A strangled moan, more a plea than anything else.

"Oh, I can't wait to fill your pussy with my dick. If I'd known you were so into getting fucked, I'd have made a move a long time ago. We could have been doing it this whole time. On your couch, in your bed, on that rickety dinner table downstairs. You would have liked that, wouldn't you?" He licked at her bottom lip and she sighed. "Answer me."

"Y-yes."

"Yes, what?"

"Yes, I would have liked it."

"Liked what? Be specific. You weren't ashamed of being vulgar a second ago. Why should you start now that my fingers are inside of your slick pussy?" Hiei bit the side of her neck lightly.

"Yes, I would have liked you to fuck me." Iruni panted, hips moving the timing of his hand.

"You let just anyone fuck you?" Hiei lowered his voice.

"No." She gripped the edge of the counter, face flushed. "It's been, ahhh, it's been a long time."

"Good. I don't like sharing." Hiei rubbed his thumb over her clit and she cried out, her eyes closing as a spark of pleasure spun through her. "Look at you, so desperate you're riding my hand. You're getting close aren't you?"

She managed some sound to the affirmative. Hiei quickened his pace, being sure to circle her clit with his thumb.

"Tell me when you cum. I want to hear you say it." He demanded, breathing against her neck.

"I," Iruni panted, moaning, "I-I'm going to cum."

He smirked at her, and it sent her over the edge. Her knees buckled with a strangled moan, head bowed forward into his chest as she fought to stay on her feet. Panting, she twitched as he continued to play with her clit, slowing gradually as she rode the waves of her orgasm. It took her a few minutes of recovery to realize he was holding her up, chin resting on the top of her head, his hand withdrawn from her pants.

"Do you have condoms?" He asked her, low and rough.

"Bedside drawer." She nodded, and he peeled away from her slowly. By the time he came back with the box she had regained some strength to stand on her own.

"I thought it had been a while." He pointed out, setting the box on the counter and trapping her between his arms as he leaned over her.

"It has." She muttered, blushing. "I just-I just like to be prepared _in case_."

"Did you get them hoping I'd fuck you?" Hiei leered at her, relishing in her embarrassed flush. "Mmm. Miss Mikamoto, you're full of surprises tonight. Take off your bra, leave the shirt on."

"On?" She blinked at him.

"Yeah. I've been thinking about fucking you with a shirt on ever since I noticed you weren't wearing bras." Hiei stripped his own shirt off, displaying a broad chest and defined physique. She did as he requested, and as he pushed his pants off he watched her do the same. Looking her over, standing before him with no pants and her nipples prominent through her shirt, it was too much.

In a swift movement he turned her to face the mirror, bending her forward over the counter so that she had to rise to her toes. Rubbing his cock against her entrance he looked at her through their reflections.

"After this, I think I'm going to fuck you on your bed." He told her, pleased when she looked surprised.

"After this?" She stared at him, then her eyes fluttered closed as he teased her folds with the head of his cock.

"You've got a busy night ahead of you." Hiei assured her and he pressed forward, watching as she bit her lip. "If it hurts, tell me."

"Okay." She agreed, but the sense of stretching didn't hurt. Iruni pressed her hips back to get more of him as he moved into her slowly.

He grinned, moving his hands to her hips for leverage and effectively stopping her. "Is your pussy that desperate, Miss Mikamoto? You can't even stand to start slowly?"

"Iruni." She hid her complaint by offering her name. "My name is Iruni."

"Iruni." Hiei tested it, and when he did she clenched around him. Good. "Am I going to slowly for you?"

She debated on telling him yes as he slowly pushed another inch into her. "Please push it in."

"Push what in?"

"Hiei…" A groan, desperation feeding into the name.

"I want to hear those dirty words from your pretty mouth, Iruni." Hiei leaned over her from behind, wrapping one hand loosely around her neck to pull her head up so he could stare into her eyes through the mirror. "Tell me what you want."

He pulled back the inch he'd progressed and she whimpered, trying to push her hips back. God, what a beautiful sight. He'd have to come back more often and appreciate her unexpected appetite.

"Push your cock into my pussy." The words spilled out as her eyes pinched closed, a flush coloring her face as she met his demand. "Please."

"Well, since you said please." Hiei thrust forward and she called out, head tossed back as he resumed his grip on her hips. She mewled and moaned, having to be reminded to keep her eyes open because he wanted her watch herself in the mirror.

He lifted her leg and put the knee on the counter, adjusting the angle he penetrated her, and she cried out.

"I'm, I'm going to cum." She panted the words, and he moved his hand to her breast, thrusting harder. She keened, then shook, but he didn't stop as she clenched around him, her heat growing as she called his name.

"Fuck Iruni, you're so _tight_." He growled against her neck, peppering the flesh with a trail of kisses as he watched her in the mirror. He'd pulled her back and with her leg up on the counter, he could see her breasts bouncing and the expression on her face as she succumbed to being lost in pleasure. A mindless enjoyment painted over her face. "You came so fast. Is it because my dick is so deep?"

"So deep." She panted. "Oh god, it feels _so good_."

He pulled out of her and turned her around, lifting her up to sit on the counter. She wanted to protect how easily he manipulated her position but didn't bother as he thrust back into her, his mouth pressing against hers with a demand for entrance. She opened her mouth to him and grabbed the backs of his arms, legs hooked over his hips.

"I'm going to come back tomorrow. You going to let me fuck you again?" Hiei growled the question, thoughts growing hazy as he reached his own climax.

"Yes. Oh god, _yes_." She agreed readily and he kissed her again, fervent and demanding.

"And the night after that?"

"Any night, Hiei. You can come back and fuck me like this anytime." She tipped her head back, groaning her pleasure.

He buried his face in her neck, enjoying the clean scent of her skin mingled with the saltiness of their sweat. Anytime. He could come back and have her any time he wanted to. Goddammit, that's what he'd wanted to hear.

"What about after we find your old man?" Hiei licked up her neck, biting at her earlobe. "You'll still let me come back?"

" _Anytime_." She emphasized the word and he grabbed her hips and started fucking her harder, a grin on his face as she yelped then crooned.

"I like watching your tits bounce." He told her, staring at them as she spoke. "And fuck, _that expression_ you really love being fucked like this don't you? My cock really fills you up."

"Oh god, I'm going to cum again." It almost sounded like a problem, and Hiei chuckled above her, moving a hand to stroke her clit.

"Goddamn right you are. You're going to cum for me. Again, and again, and again." Hiei told her and the promise in the words made her arch her back. Her legs twitched around him as he teased her clit.

" _Fuck_." She cried out, biting a knuckle to stifle the scream brewing. He rolled her clit between his thumb and forefinger, pinching it lightly and it was her undoing. She bucked under him, swearing again, and saying his name.

Which was what tipped over his own edge. Thrusting as deep as he could, dragging her toward him with his hips, he came, panting and leaning over her. They each took a minute to catch their breaths before he pulled out of her, disposing of the condom and helping her off the counter. Grabbing the box, he pulled her toward her bedroom and she grinned behind him, watching as he opened another condom.

"You're going to ride me." He told her and she bit her lip before nodding, kissing him as deeply as he'd kissed her before. A hand on her back felt warm as it pulled her closer. "I'm going to be pretty exhausted after this, so I'm probably going to spend the night."

"As long as you don't snore." Iruni grinned at him.

"Shut up and fuck me." Hiei tugged her toward his lap and she giggled, straddling his hips.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Special**

 **I'm stuck in Hiei AU hell. I'm sorry. I tried to get behind a Kurama story and I just couldn't. Anyway, have a Barista!Hiei. Rated M for 'Man Sin writes a lot about sex lately'.**

* * *

"What's good?" The woman leaned forward, her elbows on the counter as she scanned the menu, a hand idly pushing long red hair away from her face. "I've never been here before."

"Do you like coffee?" Hiei asked her dully, unamused.

"Yeah." She eyed him.

"Then order a coffee." He responded dryly. "It's all the same shit anyway."

"You're really selling me." Her head tipped to the side, a coy smile playing over her mouth. "Alright then, how about you make something you think I'll like."

"One coffee coming up." Hiei pulled a cup from the stack next to him and scribbled something on it. "I'll make it in a minute. Wait over there."

"Sure thing, cutie." She offered him some cash and a finger gun then bounced to the end of the bar as he helped the next customer.

"Don't lean on the bar." Hiei snapped at her, beginning pour her coffee. Then he glanced her direction. "Need milk?"

"Cream." She continued to rest with her elbows on the counter. "Is coffee really what you think of me?"

"I don't know you. So you get coffee." Hiei set the cup on the counter without a smile.

"Boo. I hope you're in a better mood tomorrow." She pouted.

"I doubt it."

* * *

"Hello sunshine." The redhead smiled at Hiei, who stared back without expression. "What's today's special."

"Coffee with a side of coffee." Hiei responded, raising his eyebrows.

"I was thinking something with espresso." She tapped her chin. "A latte, I think."

"Okay." Hiei continued to stare blandly.

"Whip something special up, alright?" Her grin widened, pulling to the left slightly. Then glancing at his nametag she nodded. "Hiei. I like that name. Sounds strong."

He pointed toward the bar and she walked away, hands clasped behind her back.

What the hell was this woman's deal? Every damn day she showed up, grinning like an idiot, and asked him to make her a 'special'. Grumbling, Hiei set about making her a latte. Reaching for the cream he glanced at the woman, red hair falling down to her hips, sunglasses balanced on her head, black frilly skirt and kitten heels with a tucked in white blouse. He poured the cream into the steaming cup and added honey to it, then a dash of vanilla powder before frothing the mixture.

"Here." He slid the cup over the counter with eyes narrowed. "A latte."

She hummed, picking the cup up, popping off the lid and taking a careful sip. With a sly smile she raised her eyebrows.

"Sweet and vanilla, huh? That's what you think of me?" She tilted her head and laughed, nodding. "Fair enough, I suppose. But not quite right. Oh well, maybe next time. See you tomorrow, _Hiei_."

"Please don't." He responded with a grimace.

"Toodles, darling! Duty calls." She lowered her large glasses down and tossed him another finger gun.

* * *

Hiei fixed himself a latte, white shirt tucked into black slacks. When he heard Yusuke mutter under his breath. "This bitch again."

Hiei turned to glance at the doors to find a familiar redhead waltzing in, keeping back from the counter as she studied the menu with her hands behind her back. Crimson lips pursed, she teetered onto the heels of her shoes then down a few times. She caught Hiei's gaze and then offered a brilliant smile.

"There he is, my favorite barista." She sauntered to the counter with that same smile.

Hiei raised his eyebrows, side and walked to the counter chugging his latte with expert precision. "I'm not clocked in. What do you want?"

"Are you an option?" She winked at him and he rolled his eyes, leaning forward on the counter with his elbows.

"Have you been harassing the other baristas?" He demanded and she glanced at Yusuke who was watching them heavy scrutiny. "You can't do that."

"I didn't do anything. A fact that annoyed your friend. As a customer I feel I should get to choose who makes my drinks, yes?" She huffed, crossing her arms and the bright composure she normally carried faded some. "He's just upset that I wouldn't let him take my order."

Hiei sighed. "A latte with cream?"

"I heard almond milk is good too."

"Cream." Hiei wrote it on the cup along with some other details. "There now it doesn't matter who makes it. Stop causing trouble."

Another man walked through the doors wearing a dark suit, lingering near them and never approaching the counter. She glanced toward the newcomer, pouted slightly and sighed, handing her money over before walking to the end of the counter without a smile. Hiei watched her for a minute, and when Yusuke went to grab the cup, he shook his head and clocked on.

When she saw Hiei slide the cup to her a few minutes later, she glanced at it then to him, tentatively accepting the drink. Just as before, she popped the lid off and sipped.

"Caramel?" She asked him and he nodded. "Still pretty sweet, but it's good."

"Don't give my coworkers issues." Hiei told her again, tilting his head. Then he frowned. "You don't like it."

"It's good." She nodded and then waved at him. "Well, work is waiting. Have a good evening."

The man followed her out and Hiei watched with some confusion.

"Yo, what the hell is her deal?" Yusuke demanded. "She came in like four times earlier and refused to buy anything each time. Just walked in, looked around and left. I thought she was casing the joint."

"She's a regular." Hiei sighed. "Or, I guess she is on my shifts."

"Someone's got a crush. You should go after it, she's pretty cute. Definitely seems crazy as fuck though." Yusuke lamented. "God, crazy girls are the best fucks but it comes at a price. Prepare for a restraining order now."

Hiei rolled his eyes and shook his head.

* * *

Hiei wasn't quite sure what the best course of action would be. He could, potentially, throw hot coffee in the robber's face. Or he could hand over the cash as was demanded of him. The indecision put him in an awkward place as he stared at the man pointing a gun at his forehead. But the door chimed and both men glanced toward it. Hiei's cinnabar eyes widened as he noted the redheaded woman who walked through, her skirt flaring around her thighs and her heels clacking against the tile.

In the quite of the café her steps echoed, foreboding lighting his nerve endings.

 _Not her, not today._ Hiei tried to catch her eye to shake his head but the barrel of the handgun made it difficult to stray his attention.

Blue eyes glimpsed the situation, coifed eyebrows raising delicately and then she sighed throwing her head back before walking directly behind the gunman.

Before Hiei could really interpret what was happening, the redhead pulled a knife and pressed it to the gunman's throat with enough intention to draw blood.

"Here's how it is," she muttered to him, clearly put off, "I'll either slit your throat or you'll pull the trigger. Now, if you kill my favorite barista I will definitely kill _you_. You have a choice to make. Walk out alive or be carted out. Tick tock, love."

The man stiffened, glancing over his shoulder. "Miss Takani, I didn't see you there."

"Put the gun on the counter before I stain my shirt." She ordered and he swallowed, the action welling a drop of blood over her blade as he set the gun down. "Now apologize to my darling Hiei for this grotesque inconvenience."

"I'm sorry." The man uttered, eyes wide and pupils pinpoints of fear.

"Thank you. Tell your friends that this is my favorite café and that _I will not tolerate this insubordination again._ " She withdrew her knife and the man darted for the door. Hiei swore he saw a wet patch soaking the front of the man's pants. "Hello sunshine, could I get a special?"

As she asked him, she tucked the gun into her purse, wide smile setting him on edge after that ordeal.

"Who the fuck are you?" Hiei demanded, gaping. "You just come in and pull a knife from nowhere and stop a robbery?"

"I'm a loyal customer." She told him, leaning over the counter with one arm under her breasts and the other elbow on the surface as her palm cupped her chin. "I can't let anything happen to my favorite place, can I?"

Hiei stared at her and she grinned back, offering a wink and a finger gun. "Name for your cup?"

She blinked at him then her eyes widened with her grin. "It's Hichi."

"Hichi." Hiei repeated, writing it out. "And you want a?"

"You know what, how about today you give me whatever you drink." Her hand reached out, lithe fingers grazing his forearm.

Her smile turned salacious and he wondered at that.

"Okay." Hiei allowed and he puzzled for a moment before setting the cup he'd grabbed down without marking anything on it. "I just almost died."

"That's a bit dramatic. I was right here. I wouldn't have let him kill you." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Right. Favorite barista and all that." Hiei repeated her earlier words, brow still furrowed from the experience.

"That's right." She nodded again.

Hiei glanced behind her to the glass windows that lined the café. In them he saw the back of her reflection, flared skirt riding high on the backs of her thighs revealing the tops of her socks as she teetered on the toes of her high heels. He swallowed, looking at her face again.

He inhaled deeply. "Did you want to go out back?"

"Going to beat me up?" She teased, winking at him.

"Not even close." His gaze bore into her as the adrenaline from having a gun pointed at his face only then began to ebb. "I'm just riding the high of life right now and it seemed like a good idea."

"I thought you'd never ask." Hichi straightened and stepped back as he pushed through the half door next to the register to walk over and lock the lobby doors.

Hiei grabbed her wrist on the way back through, dragging her behind him toward the stockroom and praying that this wasn't going to be one of the rare occasions Yusuke decided to show up early to work. If ever he needed that idiot to slack off it was today. Tossing his apron onto the counter as he passed, he cut his eyes back to the woman whose heels clacked off the ceramic tile to see her grinning like she'd just won the lottery.

Yusuke was right, she was probably batshit crazy.

The minute they pushed through the swinging door leading to the stockroom she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a fevered kiss that made grappling his way to a surface sturdy enough to lean against a challenge. She didn't seem interested in hindering him, one of her hands reaching back to paw through the air for a surface. When her shoulders hit the wall, she moaned, biting his bottom lip and untucking his white shirt from his black slacks.

Hiei groaned, eyes half-way closed as he slammed back into the kiss, his hands tracing the lines of her outer thighs under her skirt. Pulling back, he stared at her, incredulous, his fingers skimming over the thigh sheath hidden away against her soft skin.

"What the fuck is that?" He looked down, eying the knife. "You are crazy. You're not going to kill me after this are you?"

"I guess that depends on how good you are." She winked at him, fisting the material of his shirt and dragging him back to her with surprising strength. "I suggest you treat me very well, Mr. Hiei."

 _Why the FUCK is that arousing?_ He couldn't contemplate his own insanity as she worked at his belt, her hand slipping inside and wrapping around him as she pressed her lips to the side of his neck.

"I'm going to stain your collar." Hichi huffed, removing her hand to reach up and unbutton the first few buttons of his shirt, pulling it open to allow her easier access. "That would be a giveaway, hmm? Doubt your boss would like that."

"Not my concern right now." Hiei slid his hand under her skirt and smirked when she moaned at the contact of his fingers. He massaged them over her through her panties which felt like lace and he bundled her skirt up to peek.

Yup. Lace. Black lace thong. _Fuck._ Shoving her blouse up her chest revealed a matching bra, her nipples prominent through the thin material. Hiei bowed his head and pressed his mouth to her breast through the black lace, catching her nipple between his teeth lightly. Another moan, this one far more breathless. It made him hum in agreement, grinding against her hip as she wiggled between him and the wall. Heady satisfaction flooded him at the pink blush dancing over her nose and cheeks, her lips parted as she panted when he pulled back to study her expression.

Kissing her again, he dipping his fingers into her panties, one fingertip caressing over her folds and finding them soaking wet. Burying a hand in her hair to tip her head back, he pressed the digit into her, pleased at how easy she accepted him. She bucked her hips when his thumb scanned over her clit, the perfection reaction to get him to leer at her with a devilish glint in his eyes. The second finger went in as easily and she spread her legs the little she could with him pinning her to the wall, offering more room for his hand. A sound clawed from his throat born of deep appreciation and need.

"That's a nice look for you, blushing and a little desperate." Hiei murmured overly pleased with himself, withdrawing his hand to push her panties to the side. "Let's see what we can make of it, hmm?"

"I'm not accustomed to being disappointed." She warned him and then yelped as he hoisted her up, hands on her thighs spreading her legs and holding her to the wall as she gripped the shoulders of his shirt.

"You're in luck that I was trained to offer excellent customer service then." He teased her, the head of his cock pressing against her folds. "Today's special, just for you."

He pressed into her slowly and she gasped, mouth falling open even as the left corner of her lips quirked upwards, eyes fluttering as Hiei slowly made himself at home inside her.

Hiei grunted, pushing in until he was to his base, eyes staring down at where their bodies joined. Honestly, he'd never done anything like this before. Having sex at work? That was the crass behavior everyone expected from Yusuke. Fucking a near stranger? Also not in his bag of tricks. But the feeling of Hichi clenching around him silenced any doubtful thoughts and he smirked, licking his lips, pulling out until just the tip remained inside her. She whined at the loss and it fueled him to drive into her with a sharp thrust, reveling in the heated gasp she offered.

He caught her nipple with his mouth again, sucking and nipping at the hardened bud as he found a steady pace of thrusting into her. This position allowed him to glimpse the knife strapped to her thigh, something that he hadn't realized would make his cock twitch, but did.

"Ahhhh." Hichi wound her fingers into his hair, arching her back at the feel of his hot mouth against her breast. "Fuck me, this feels amazing."

Hiei offered a guttural moan back, shifting just slightly and drawing a serious of pleased whimpers from the woman. For someone who could thwart a robbery, she was actually fairly small, he mused. But it was impossible to miss the muscles lining her legs and abdomen, her stomach flexing when she clenched around him.

"Ungh, just like that. Please." She crooned, head tipped back. "Oh god, I'm going to cum."

"Please do." Hiei growled the words against the side of her throat, quickening his pace.

Hichi yowled, pulling painfully at his hair as she orgasmed, muscles in her legs tensing under his hands and tightening her in a maddening away. There was no way he was going to last long like this. Not that he needed to, he guessed.

" _Fuck_." He groaned, thrusting himself in as deep as he could, listening to every cry of ecstasy and relishing in every tremble she offered.

"Now that's a delicious expression." Hichi's sultry voice whispered against his mouth as he neared his own climax. "Oh, you're going to cum for me. I can feel it."

The flush that had overtaken Hiei's face, his heavy lidded eyes, they were treats to devour. Usually such a stoic man, sardonic and cool, looking very much like he was lost in pure bliss.

Hichi pulled his shirt, allowing her to kiss up his jaw and warm the cup of his ear with her next words. "Cum for me, Hiei."

The litany of swears that fell from his mouth seemed perfectly in tune with his character to her, another rush of delight surging through the redhead at the desperate utterances while Hiei drove into her madly until he grunted, teeth sinking against her neck in an action that made her callout in a mixture of pain and pleasure. Slowly, panting to regain his breath, Hiei allowed her legs to slip from his hands and to the floor. It took a few minutes for their composure to return. By the time it had, Hichi had adjusted her clothes and hair, looking none the worse for wear save for her depleted lipstick.

Hiei's jaw, neck and mouth were streaked with red. She'd managed to _mostly_ avoiding staining his shirt. Tutting, she offered to have it dry cleaned for him as he fixed the button and tucked it into his pants.

"It's fine." He dismissed her, then cast a glance down her form. "I guess I still owe you that drink."

"If you wouldn't mind, I have a long night ahead of me." She nodded with a grin, then chewed her lip as she ran her fingers down his chest.

Hiei felt the urge to spin her around and take her bent over against the shelves. But she withdrew her hand with a wistful sigh and headed for the swinging door. No one waited outside as Hiei unlocked the lobby doors and he set about making her drink.

"How much do I owe you?" She asked, accepting the cup with money in hand.

"On the house." Hiei waved her off, glancing behind her to the man in a suit who stalked in, Yusuke hot on his heels late as usual. It was hard for Hiei to be annoyed about that though, given it's what he'd asked for.

"Boss, where have you been?" The man in the suit approached Hichi. "We need to go."

"Yeah, yeah. I needed my coffee." She rolled her eyes and winked at Hiei. "See you tomorrow, darling."

"Hn. If you insist." The dismissal lacked the usual bite and earned a smile from the woman. She tapped her lip and Hiei wiped at his mouth with a napkin, noting the smear of red. With a frown he stared at the brown paper and when he looked up the woman was gone.

"What a pain in the ass. What did she want today?" Yusuke tied on his apron and clocked on before making himself a drink. "Some super complicated piece of shit latte?"

"She asked for my special." Hiei informed him with a smirk, setting about making the same drink for himself.

Yusuke paused in his actions, turning to study Hiei with obvious suspicion. Then his brown eyes widened as Hiei added the dark chocolate syrup to his cup before pouring the espresso over it.

"You fucking dog!" Yusuke pointed at the other man, who grimaced, groaning and looking away. "You totally fuck a customer on company time. Was it good? Was she as crazy I thought?"

"She keeps a knife strapped to her thigh and I think I'm going to do it again tomorrow." Hiei informed him, topping his drink off with steamed almond milk and cinnamon sugar. "Also, shut the fuck up."

"Super crazy. God, that's the best." Yusuke nodded, grinning like it had been him who got laid. "I'm proud of you."

"I'm going to throw this scalding hot cup in your face." Hiei warned, sipping on the beverage without letting it cool. Then, he smirked. Yusuke was right, she was crazy. But it seemed to be manageable.

Anyway, he'd see what tomorrow brought and if it was too much that would be it. He hoped she wore the knife again.

 _God, seriously, something is wrong with me. I shouldn't find that so attractive._ He chastised himself, knowing it wouldn't do any good.

"She disarmed a gunman and I think he pissed himself. It was so hot." Hiei smirked at the thought.

"Yeah." Yusuke paused his nodding and then bellowed. "Wait, what?"


	4. Chapter 4

**I have, not kidding, at least 8 AU stories I've started that will never see the light of day. But pieces of each have merit, I think. This is one in which my OC (because of course it's her, it's** _ **always**_ **Shinpi for some reason) meets the gang as a professor while she works to study Demon-Human relationships to help Spirit World, Human World and Demon World understand one another better.**

* * *

 **The Multiverse Theory**

The observatory wasn't something Hiei had ever bothered to imagine. Even after Shinpi foisted him into this arrangement with her little bet, he hadn't bothered to ask what he was in for. It seemed obvious from the name. They would observe… _something_. It wasn't until Shinpi gestured to the giant telescope that he started to vaguely understand.

"It's beautiful, isn't it. So powerful." She walked away from his side to climb the small staircase leading to the seat. "Looking through it makes you feel like you're in heaven."

Hiei followed her at a careful pace, watching her look through the eyepiece. Offering no commentary, he merely rested against the railing, eyes on the woman who seemed suddenly lost to him. Just like that Shinpi was silent, shifting in her seat as she looked through the massive metal tube to whatever lay beyond it. Hiei didn't see the appeal, personally, but her soft smile made it seem slightly more enticing. Daring to walk a little closer, he stopped when she resurfaced from her daydreams and smiled at him.

"Come try." She stood up then patted the seat.

"Why?" Hiei demanded.

"You lost Hiei, and we're here. It wouldn't kill you to make the best of the moment." Shinpi sighed. "Please?"

"Fine." He snorted, stiffly taking the seat. "What do I do?"

"Look through this." She tapped the eyepiece, leaning over his shoulder. Her arms rested on the back of the chair. "Tell me what you see."

Hiei did as she directed, and immediately fell silent. No wonder she'd been lost to the world for a moment. He knew what stars looked like, it wasn't hard to spot them, but now he could see what he wasn't able to before. The film of white that laced around a cluster of stars. When Shinpi adjusted the telescope, he was able to see the planets as she named them. Pulling back, mouth opened slightly, he had to blink as his expectations readjusted.

"Marvelous, isn't it?" Shinpi breathed behind him, back to her post of leaning on his chair. Hiei craned his head to see her face as she smiled.

"It was better than I thought it'd be." Hiei agreed, not rising to stand until she stepped back to give him room.

"Well, if you liked that, you may like the planetarium portion. I'll turn on the lecture." Shinpi stepped closer to Hiei to pass him down the stairs. The movement forced contact, her fingers brushing over his wrist in such a light pass he might have imagined it.

But he didn't imagine the heated look she offered after.

Hiei followed her down the stairs, through to a lecture hall attached to the building. She began to fiddle with some equipment while he took a seat. A voice started playing as well as a video projected onto the ceiling and walls around them. More stars, more galaxies as they were described. Hiei watched with some fascination as the voice described the vastness of the cosmos.

"Breathtaking." Shinpi kept her voice soft, her eyes taking in the planets and stars. "And just one of so many universes. There are theories that suggest there are endless universes all playing next to one another, and it's even possible that those realities may mimic our own but with small changes."

"Like what?" Hiei leaned toward her as her fingers found his thigh, tracing small designs as she absently stared upward. He didn't stop her hand, didn't push it away. Glancing at the peek of skin he saw under the hem of her skirt, he wondered what she'd do if he reached over.

"Well, anything really. There could be a universe where we don't exist. Maybe demons aren't there at all. Or a universe where it is only demons. There may even be a universe where everything is exactly the same except you've finally taken my hints and fucked me senseless right here under the entirety of the Milky Way."

Hiei blinked, processing those words a little too slowly. He felt her fingers squeeze his thigh then pull away, heard a soft sigh escape her lips as she glanced at him, saw her shake her head slightly and look back toward the ceiling. Swallowing back the sudden heat creeping through every vein in his body, Hiei stared at Shinpi, trying to assess if she'd actually said what he'd heard or if he'd lapsed into some sort of maladaptive daydream during the middle of her sentence.

"That would mean," Hiei leaned over her side to breath the words against her ear, "that their universe was the same as ours down to the last detail, Shinpi."

He didn't give her a chance to respond, pressing his mouth to her neck and allowing his teeth to scrape over the sensitive flesh there. With a moan Shinpi turned her face to his and when their mouths collided the floodgates broke open. Hands trailing over skin under clothing, teeth, lips, fingernails all working to raise reactions from one another. Panted commands and mewling responses.

By the time either of them came back to their senses, the lecture had repeated itself twice. Disheveled, Shinpi stood on rubbery legs to turn the program off. Hiei finished buttoning up his shirt, licking his lips and casting heated glances that the wolf demoness didn't seem to notice.

He made a mental note to lose to her more often.

They walked out of the building, Shinpi looking only mildly more presentable than she had a few minutes before. Fussing over her shirt, then her hair, she managed to pull herself together by the bare minimum degree possible.

"I hope you enjoyed the lecture." Shinpi nodded at Hiei, catching her bottom lip with her teeth. "I know it's not normally your forte, but I appreciate you enduring it."

"You've opened my mind." Hiei allowed, a dangerous smirk gracing his mouth. "If all your interests are as engaging as that one, I wouldn't complain about joining you again."

She looked him down then up, a soft sound trapped in her throat as she understood his words. Prying her eyes away from him she lifted her face toward the darkened sky. "I can't say all my interests are as engaging. Or as fortuitous. I called in a favor to make sure we'd be alone. That wouldn't normally be the case."

"Unfortunate." Hiei agreed, stepping closer to her. "Was there anything else on your agenda tonight?"

"No, that was pretty much the extent of my planning." She swallowed, meeting his gaze. "Even if there was more, everything is closed now. I hadn't expected to go through the lecture three times."

"I could have for another." Hiei smirked and it made her eyes fall to his mouth.

"Thank you for agreeing to come today, Hiei, and for keeping an open mind." Shinpi fixed a missed button on his shirt. "I guess I should head home. I do have class tomorrow."

He nodded and she trailed her fingertips down his chest before inhaling and stepping around him. Hiei turned to watch her walk, amused with how distracted she seemed. Not that he could say he was much better off at the moment. Every small movement seemed to delve him back into the moment, even the slight sway of her hips as she walked down the path.

A singular event, Shinpi had called it between the second and third lecture. He'd agreed. No need to complicate things. No need to announce their business to the world either. It would be a secret only they shared.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Not my usual genre or pairing but I hope you find it cute none the less.**

* * *

Yukina smiled at Kazuma as he pointed at a recipe. "Let's do this one."

"Are you sure? We could just make cookies." She offered, her smile touching her eyes.

"I can't do that. I suck at making cookies." He deflated. "They always turn out too hard."

She nodded, accepting his excuse. "Whatever you want, Kazuma."

"Thank you. I know this is weird." He hung his head. "Sorry for asking you."

"Don't be, I'm thankful I can help." She offered with a beaming grin. "It's not everyday you ask me for a favor, you know."

"I know."

"Let's get started."

Yukina was pleasantly surprised by Kazuma's prowess in the kitchen. His attention to detail proved an asset while he baked the spiced cake. He deferred to her for the icing, agreeing when she suggested cinnamon buttercream. She helped him with the ratios, directing him well, but he did the work himself.

"Do you like to bake? You're a natural." Yukina offered as he leveled the icing on the tiered cake.

"Sis and I do it sometimes." He offered back, blushing. "I guess that makes me seem like a sissy huh?"

"Not at all. I think it's great!" She smiled brightly. "It's perfect Kazuma."

She'd tasted the batter and the buttercream. Both had been made with love and perfection. Heavy on the love.

"I hope _he_ thinks so."

"He'll love it."

* * *

"What the hell is this?" Hiei raised an eyebrow as Kuwabara offered the cake.

"A cake?" The carrot top blushed, hiding his face by turning his head.

"I can see _that_. Why?" Hiei demanded, skeptical.

"Uh, _because_."

Hiei stared at the human, expression dulling. Kuwabara returned the gaze then looked away when his cheeks darkened with another blush. That made the fire demon tip his head to the side. Glancing at the cake, Hiei relented and accepted a slice, carving it out for himself. He lifted the fork to his lips then paused.

"You didn't do something weird to this, did you?" Hiei narrowed his eyes.

"No! Of course not!" Kuwabara waved his hands in front of him. "I just made it for you is all!"

"For me?" Hiei stared at the human whose eyes widened. The fire demo popped the bite into his mouth, savoring the flavor for a moment. "It's sweet."

"Too sweet?"

"I didn't say that. Idiot."

Hiei watched Kuwabara carefully then smirked. "Is this because of that ridiculous crush you have on me?"

"Bwah! What? A man like me?" Kuwabara rubbed the back of his head, face a deep scarlet that could have rivaled Hiei's irises. "A crush? Idunnowhatyouretalkingabout."

"I see. So I suppose there's no reason for me to accept." Hiei posited and delighted in the pained squeal Kuwabara offer. "Idiot."

"How long have you known?" The carrot top deflated.

"How long have we known each other?"

"You're a bastard, Hiei."

"But I could be _your_ bastard. I'm not a cheap date. Don't disappoint me." Hiei pointed with the fork, relishing in the next wave of coloring deepening the hue of Kuwabara's cheeks.

"Yeah, of course." Kazuma nodded, bewildered and enamored.

Hiei ate another bite of cake, staring at the human as if daring him to say something else.

"So, I really made that cake you know."

"I know, idiot."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: While working on my nano projects I came across some stories I had forgotten about. This was a piece of one where Shinpi is a bandit with a variety of skills. This was how the story was set to begin but I've decided since that there is some more info needed at the beginning and even though I have a load of plot written up for this, it'll likely never actually be published in full. So anyway, have a non smutty little small fic.**

* * *

 **The Bandit**

"Stop this foolishness." Her command stilled every body in the room, even Hiei's. His crimson eyes seared against her image, heat rising from his skin in visible waves, distorting the heavy shadows and red light of the cavern. Amon-Shinpi remained standing, her posture loose but her blue eyes shining and keen. Her red hair draped around her like a cloak of her own.

"Milord." One of the underlings went to argue and she cut him a cool look that stopped the words from spilling over his reptilian lips. Hiei wondered at what powers she was using that he couldn't sense. A psychic? Compulsion? What trickery did the woman have squirreled away here in her prison.

"You can't hope to fight him. You'll get nowhere. Just do what he says." Amon-Shinpi ordered the mass of them and they all shifted uneasily under the weight of her words. "You won't win, what's the point? He's stronger than all of you combined and your lives lack any value to him."

"You could-" someone began.

"I won't." She responded coldly. "I'm not interested in fighting lap dogs. What say you, Jaganshi? If we comply will you still prove yourself to be the brutish nightmare we think you are? Will you slay us despite our lack of resistance, or will you allow us to serve unharmed?"

Hiei straightened, marching toward her. His hand grabbed the front of her shirt and lifted the woman onto her toes so he could snarl in her face. "How are you controlling them?"

Her smile infuriated him. The light in her eyes filled him to the brim with anger and repulsion as he realized immediately what that expression meant for him. She didn't respect him an ounce and he loathed her for it. But her upturned lips parted and the words came that made him shove her back from him in haste to avoid outright killing her then and there.

Those fucking words that haunted him since, circling his brain at inappropriate intervals that would make him question for years to come if she might actually be a psychic despite her adamant claims to the contrary.

"I earned their respect by offering my own." She told him, that grating, lofty expression still lighting her features. When he shoved her backwards she only staggered a step to regain her footing. "You'd be amazed what one can accomplish when they simply understand how to connect with others."

"Get to work." Hiei snapped at all of them, turning away stiffly. "The first one to toe the line will be made an example of."

Days passed and every time Mukuro sent him down into the cavern the woman led the brigade to listen to his commands without arguments. They did what they were told, they accepted their feeble meals, and even went so far as to thank him for his patience and kindness. All of this because of that irksome bandit. How was she doing it? Respect? He scoffed at the idea. What could she possible find respectable about her sullied comrades?

"That woman haunts me." Hiei seethed, pacing before Mukuro could order him back down into the prison. "Her words, her voice, her unfaltering power. I want to break her."

"No one can break Amon-Shinpi." Mukuro shrugged uselessly, slightly amused. "You said she's forcing the inmates to conform?"

"Without question." He growled.

"What is the problem here, Hiei? If anything it would appear that she's done your job for you." Mukuro tilted her head and watched the tension wrack through his body at her words. "Ah, so that's the problem, then. She's commanding what you couldn't."

"How doesn't this bother you? She has a veritable army at her disposal." Hiei gestured wide with his arm. "Why does this amuse you?"

"You amuse me, not her." Mukuro explained quietly. "You're so distraught over a prisoner who has no actual power. I can't fathom why."

"She's leading them."

"To no end."

Hiei glowered as he stepped out of the elevator, as usual, but stopped nearly immediately after the doors closed behind him. The bulk of prisoners were further into the cavern today, something rare when they knew he'd be coming. Perhaps they'd known he wouldn't have provisions today. Perhaps she'd asked them to go.

He wanted to say that only the woman waited for him today but that wasn't quite the truth of the situation. She sat on the dirt floor, wrists on her bent knees, but there were three composed bodies around her. Hiei didn't ask her what happened and she didn't look at him. For the first time her face lacked the usual infuriating light he'd grown used to seeing. She was shadowed, her blue eyes a shade of indigo that nearly seemed black. Blood dripped from her hands.

"Did you know that Xien was a healer?" She asked quietly, her voice carrying over the space.

"I don't know who that is." He responded, full of ice.

She gestured to the body on her right. A young demon with dark hair and closed eyes, his throat decidedly missing.

"You don't know any of our names." She guessed correctly. Hiei didn't respond, didn't feel the need to. "Your plan is working, they are turning on each other just as you'd hoped. I won't be able to keep the peace much longer."

"My plan?" Hiei raised his brows and approached her cautiously. "I have no such plans."

"Then hers." She looked up and he knew that she referenced Mukuro.

"Did you kill them?" Hiei looked at the bodies, three men. Nothing special, not to him. Just prisoners.

"They toed the line. You made it clear that they'd need to be dealt with." She continued to stare up at the ceiling, with its jutted teeth made of stone and the dark crevices.

Hiei stopped a few feet from her and stared at her upturned face, blinking back his instant confusion. "You killed them for breaking my rule?"

"Your rule is the law here, is it not Jaganshi?" She turned her gaze to him and he found it unusually cold today. "You should be happy, Lord Hiei. Your prisoners are sharpening their claws and fangs as we speak, ready to obey your every whim."

He continued to stare at her and his gaze must've grown tiresome for her because she rolled her eyes away, snorting derisively. Nothing about her seemed the same today as who she'd been in all his previous ventures.

"Bring them food, water, some medicine." She told him, continuing to sit as she tilted her heard toward the further recesses of the cave. "Someone gave birth last night, they'll need something to swathe the child in."

"Why should I care?" Hiei demanded of her.

"Your troubles will lesson if you tend to them." She told him quietly. "These demons are your prisoners, Lord Hiei, not mine. They are your responsibility. Should you take that position seriously you may find yourself in control once again."

"I don't need your help or your vaguely disguised orders." Hiei growled at her.

"I'm not helping you." Her tone sharpened and Hiei felt the hair on his nape prickle in response to it. "This isn't about you at all."

"Then who-" He was cut off by a shrill wail. The distinct sound of something small and piteous crying out for comfort that would probably never come. The sound cut off abruptly, the echo lingering in the cavern for a few moments. Hiei stared into the darkness and narrowed his eyes slightly.

"It can't be helped." Amon-Shinpi didn't move from her post, sunk down between the bodies as she was. "It wouldn't have survived anyway. Truly a mercy. The mother will go next, I'm sure, heartbroken as she's bound to be at the loss."

Hiei turned back to the demoness slowly and for the first time registered that she looked tired. The darkness in her eyes magnified by the shadows underneath.

"How many of you are there?" Hiei demanded after a long span of silence engulfed them. "How many mouths to feed? How many ill?"

"Thirty-three tonight, thirty-two tomorrow." She responded simply, so sure that more would die.

The next day when Hiei came down two more bodies had been added to the arrangement. A female demon with long wiry hair and a her unmoving child. He stared at them for a long second before ordering the two workers accompanying him to bring in the supplies he'd brought down. The demons came toward them hungrily, maws gaping and Hiei palmed the hilt of his sword as a clear warning for them to keep their distance. Amon-Shinpi didn't make an appearance today.

"Where's the woman?" Hiei pointed to the reptilian demon who'd spoken weeks before.

"She's in the back of the cave, trying to help manage the gas leak." He responded, shoving food into his mouth. Hiei glanced at the darkness. "It happened last night during a fight, someone broke the stone and these fumes started pouring out. A miasmas of sorts. A few of us got sick but Amon-Shinpi went in and is trying to seal it up."

"How?" Hiei demanded.

"I don't know. She took an engineer with her." He shrugged uselessly. Hiei raised his eyebrows.

Hiei lingered longer than usual, after the food and water had been dispersed, the medicine administered. When he had no more excuses for waiting he went back up.

He came more frequently over the next several days, bringing supplies as an excuse to visit the cavern. Yet she never greeted him. Something had changed in the atmosphere and even to him it felt murky and desolate. The initial tendrils of hope that had held the prisoners together were gone and every visit offered more bodies, but something else seemed to rallying them now. When they thanked him it seemed sincere, from their own mouths not put there by some woman lording command over them. The asked him questions of how they could be useful, offered their specialties to aid the kingdom.

One by one they were drawn to the surface and Hiei introduced them to Mukuro for inspection, approval and then put them to work. His king applauded him for utilizing their strengths but the idea hadn't been his. Every visit readied him to face Amon-Shinpi and find out what skill she harnessed that he could use.

But she didn't come back from the recesses of the cave.

"Enough of this hiding." Hiei marched into the cave with annoyed purpose. "If the woman is dead I want to verify it with my own eyes. If not I want to know what plot she's been hatching."

The few demons that remained followed him, warning him off in hushes voices, not quite willing to bring his ire directly down on themselves.

He came to a stop and stared toward the back of the cave where she sat with her legs crossed and her eyes closed, hands raised in front of her. The purple smoke seemed contained behind a pane of green glass, but that wasn't quite right was it? Hiei walked forward a few more steps. The woman didn't turn to speak to him but he heard her voice clearly none the less.

"If I let go we all die." She told him stiffly. "My shield is the only thing keeping the miasmas at bay. We couldn't plug the leak. Without a proper seal in the fissure the smoke will continue to pour out and eventually it will work its way upwards, as air currents tend to do."

"How long?" He walked to the shield and placed his palm against it. The energy warmed his skin, feeling very much like sunshine to him. The wall of energy didn't waver or shimmer. It remained strong.

"How long do you have? Until I die." She told him quietly.

"How long have you been holding it at bay?" He turned to face for the first time in a week. Her skin had paled, grown gaunt over her cheekbones and hollow under her eyes. Her red hair had grown limp, her lips colorless. But the blue of her eyes shone clearly, brightly as ever.

"I haven't been keeping track."

A lie if he'd ever heard one.

"You're saving us." He told her, tilting his head.

"No. I'm saving them. Not you." She corrected him without pause. "You don't matter, you never did. A pawn in a game much larger than yourself."

"These demons mean that much to you after such a short time?" Hiei knelt in front of her, knowing he was prodding at her concentration. He almost admired her fortitude, the way she put herself in front of the others. It was foolish, still.

"Names?" She called out and and the prattled them off, all six of them. Then she listened for an extra second as if waiting on something and her grin came back, revealing fang on one side as the lopsided expression lightened her features. "Mino, my mask."

The reptile drug a metal mask from the folds of his kimono and placed it in her lap.

"Thank you." She dropped the shield abruptly and let the smoke pour out, immediately lifting the mask over her nose and mouth, the metal biting against the bridge of her nose. Through its filters she could breath safely, the miasmas no threat to her.

Despite her exhaustion she fled for the elevator the last remnants of the prisoners hot on her heels. She opened the elevator by force and stared up at the ceiling of the metal box, feeling the hot energy signature of Hiei coming up behind her quickly. Without a second through she threw herself away from the open doors just he came up behind her, forcing Hiei into the confines of the little metal box. The doors were closing and he growled, reaching out to stop them but the smoke was hurting his lungs and he fell to one knee.

She walked into the elevator then, knelt and took his chin in her hand to pull his gaze to hers. Now, in the light of the ascending contraption, her eyes glittered with something he could only place as glee.

"Your comrades are there." Hiei choked on the burning in his throat and lungs to spit the words at her.

"No, they are not. They are immune to the gas, that's why they stayed. They'll escape through the fissure I created." She told him gently, her voice a whisper of wind through leaves. His eyes ached, the Jagan burning ceaselessly. "My mission is over, Jaganshi, my priority is already safe from your clutches."

"You've been planning this." Hiei tried to stand but the will wouldn't come to his legs. He was caught, her grip on his chin light but still enough to force him to meet her face.

"From before the moment you caught me." She assured him, the purple smoke creeping into the elevator with them. Her brow furrowed then. No matter, the Jagan wielder was no longer her concern. She hit the stop button the elevator and it stilled before reaching its destination. In a swift movement she tugged the mask down her face.

"What are you do-" Hiei didn't get to finish his question, her mouth pressing to his in earnest. His eyes widened but the gentle pressure of the breath she pushed into him seemed to ease the pain in his chest and eyes.

"Hold your breath, little dragon. I'd like to fight you again some day." She told him, pulling her mask back into place after her stolen kiss ended. Hiei stared at her, still unable to find his feet. "The smoke won't kill you but it will paralyze you for a while. Long enough for me to make my escape. May our paths never cross again."

Then she scurried up the elevator to the vent at the top, pushing it open easily and disappearing from sight.


	7. Chapter 7

**Caretaker**

Kuwabara sneezed into his elbow then sniffled pitifully and hunkered down into his coat. His reddened ears and nose practically had frost growing on them from the exposure to the elements. Yusuke poked fun at him, offering a jab about some reindeer Hiei had never heard of nor cared to learn about.

"Why aren't you wearing a hat?" Hiei snapped at the human, scowling. "You damn humans are so fragile. One would think you'd have learned to at least accept that and adapt to it."

"Fuck you, Hiei." Kuwabara's automatic response earned a glare. "I lost mine, okay? I've been meaning to a buy new one."

"Idiot." Hiei grumbled as the human sneezed again. "This is how your kind end up dead in snow banks."

"We're in the middle of a city, I'll be fine. I'll just buy some coffee or something." Kuwabara sniffled again, wiggling his nose as he pulled up the neck of his coat.

"And what? Dump it over your head?" Hiei demanded.

Kuwabara just mumbled something under his breath, shoulders hunched and continued walking with them toward the bar where they were supposed to meet Kurama for drinks. How Hiei had managed to run into the two of them on the street was beyond him. As far as he knew, the fire demon still roomed with Kurama when he was around. Hiei doing things like walking with them when he'd normally have just met them there was another curiosity he didn't study too deeply.

Once they got to the bar Kuwabara ordered his _Irish_ coffee and sipped it with a satisfied sigh. Hiei made a comment about the caffeine and how Kuwabara was really awful about taking care of himself.

"Seriously, you need a babysitter."

"Fuck you, Hiei."

The fire demon shrugged off the response and enjoyed his beer slowly while Yusuke pounded away at his, relentless in his pursuits as ever. Kurama, true to form, ordered something stronger and took his time enjoying it. It had become a ritual when they were all in town to gather here and catch up. Yusuke pretended to complain about his woman, and then ended up drunkenly switching gears and regaling them all with how amazing she was, grinning like the idiot he was the whole time. Kurama updated them on his work at his step-father's business and that his mother had finally guilted him into dating but it wasn't going well.

It was hard to find a suitable match when you were only pretending to be human, as it turned out.

Kuwabara remained quiet during the talk of relationships and conquests and love and partners. He ordered a second coffee, sipping it quietly with the hope that the whiskey would help as he offered appropriate smiles and nods when anyone looked at him. His input generic and warm, distant.

"That's awesome man, I'm happy for you." "Keiko is really amazing, huh?" "Sounds like you've got the pick of the litter, Kurama."

Eventually Kurama caught onto the forlorn nature of his mood and attempted to switch topics but Yusuke's drunken revelry never knew when to simmer down.

"Dude, so she went back. You're a good guy. Find someone else." Yusuke poked Kuwabara in the cheek, squinting at his friend as his words slurred together. "You're my friend and I'll find someone for you because you need to get _laid_. Hey, hey lady! Do you like my friend here? He needs someone to _touch_ him."

Hiei kicked the detective in the shin under the table, offering a glower. "Shut up. I'm not in the mood for getting kicked out of this hellhole like the last one."

"Ah, you need to get laid too little buddy." Yusuke hoisted himself across the table to ruffle Hiei's hair.

"I'm fine." Hiei assured him, brushing his hand away. "Besides, I have my sights set on someone. It's just a matter of pursuit at this point."

Kurama cast Hiei a curious side-eye to which the fire demon pointedly didn't respond. "Oh really, Hiei?"

"If I want your input I'll ask for it." Hiei warned the fox, eyes fixated on the detective.

"I'm sure you get Kurama's _input_ all the time." Yusuke teased and the fire demon sighed, but Kuwabara snickered and his gaze flickered toward the carrot top.

The night went on the conversation shifted, entirely thanks to Kurama's deft verbal maneuvering. Eventually they all stood and found themselves parting ways in the blustery cold, trudging to their homes through snow. Hiei walked back with Yusuke and Kuwabara, knowing Yusuke would have to divert his course early on to get to his apartment. When that time came, Hiei continued walking with Kuwabara whose ears had once again grown red in the frostbitten wind.

"Here."

Kuwabara blinked down at the offering, not sure how he'd had _that_ much to drink to be seeing things. After a moment he realized he wasn't hallucinating, Hiei was genuinely offering up his own white scarf to him. The fire demon grew and annoyed with waiting shoving the article into Kuwabara's large hands with a huff.

"Just put it on, idiot. Your damn ears will fall off." Hiei complained, his hands delving back into the pockets of his cloak.

With some reservation, Kuwabara draped the scarf around his neck. It was warm, carrying the vestiges of Hiei's unnatural body heat. And it smelled like Hiei. Some variant of smoke and heat having long embedded in the material like the other man had sat by too many campfires. Hiei huffed again, snapped at Kuwabara to crouch down and adjusted the garment to cover the other man's head and ears, wrapping it like a hood.

"Like I said, you need a caretaker. You're terrible at this _adulting_ thing that you and Yusuke are constantly whimpering about." Hiei tossed out lightly as he allowed Kuwabara to stand again. Then the fire demon began walking, knowing the other man had no choice but to catch up to him. After all, they were headed to the same place.

"Thanks, Hiei." Kuwabara made quick work of falling into place at Hiei's side. "I'll wash it and give it back to you."

"Keep it, I have more." Hiei shrugged and it grew quiet between them.

Kuwabara swallowed, glancing over at the ornery demon. Maybe Yukina had been right? Maybe his affection in her _had_ been misplaced. Warmth flooded his face at the mere idea of it. Jesus, if he was headed down that path Yusuke was right, he did need to get laid.

Hiei snorted beside him, smirking, but said nothing.

"So, this demon you're pursuing, what are they like?" Kuwabara asked to fill the silence.

"I never specified they were a demon." Hiei pointed out, continuing to smirk as he spoke.

"I guess I just assumed. I mean, with all your 'Humans are the worst' speeches." The carrot top shrugged. Snow swirled around them as sharp wind cut over the street. He was infinitely grateful for the hood Hiei had fashioned suddenly. "Man this scarf is amazing."

"It's made from the wool of a particularly durable creature." Hiei agreed.

They came to a stop outside, having reached Kuwabara's apartment building. Hiei waited as Kuwabara stared at the door.

"Are we not going in?" Hiei asked, a secretive, pleased expression lighting his features as Kuwabara fumbled at his words, dropping his keys in the snow. Hiei plucked them from the white fluff and tossed them back to their owner.

"You want to come inside?" Kuwabara's face grew red as he swallowed again.

Hiei watched the movement of his throat with heavy interest before his smirk grew slightly foreboding. Were he Yusuke, he'd have commented on that wording, but he kept the quip to himself.

"Yes." Hiei answered instead, dragging his eyes back up to Kuwabara's blushing face. "How many times do I have to tell you? You need a caretaker."

"A… caretaker." Kuwabara repeated the words, blinking again.

Honestly, humans _were_ the worst but Kurama had warned him about this ages ago. Hiei rolled his eyes stole the keys from the man's suddenly useless fingers and shoved the door open, heading inside and leaving Kuwabara to follow. Again. And again the other man jogged to catch up with him.

"Hey, Hiei, what exactly does that mean?" Kuwabara asked him, breathless. "Because I know what _caretaker_ means but you keep saying it in this weird way and I feel like I'm missing something and-"

"It means," Hiei pressed Kuwabara's keys into his lock and pushed the door open as if he'd done the motion a million times, "exactly what you think it means."

"I don't underst-" The words never had a chance of being finished as Hiei reached up and grabbed Kuwabara by the scarf, tied so purposefully around his head, and kissed him. In moment of surprise Kuwabara went to gasp and Hiei took full advantage, deepening the kiss.

For a hot second, tenuous and precarious, Hiei wondered if he'd been wrong. But only for a second because that's all the time it took for Kuwabara to positively melt, grabbing at Hiei's hips and placing a hand on the back of his head. He fell into the kiss with eyes closed and all the relief in the world flooding through him. A blissfully undetermined amount of time later Hiei released the human's mouth but continued to grip the scarf to keep him in place.

"Understand?" Hiei demanded, having trouble keeping his gaze on Kuwabara's face and not letting it wander down to his mouth or stray further below.

"Yeah, I get it." Kuwabara offered back, skin flushed and eyes heavy lidded.

"Good." Hiei smirked then, releasing him entirely so he could strip off his cloak and kick off his boots. "I almost stopped you from ordering that second coffee but I realized it worked to my advantage."

"Your advantage?" Kuwabara carefully peeled off his layers and shoes, placing them neatly by the door. He glanced down at Hiei's boots beside his own, then toward the hooks that harbored his coat next to Hiei's cloak. He moved his attention toward the fire demon watching him with a smarmy smirk, arms crossed over his chest. The next words sent nervous heat coiling through Kuwabara from the crown of his head to his toes.

"You'll need the energy tonight."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: There was no need for this.**

 **But I had the idea and now everyone gets to suffer with me. Enjoy!**

* * *

 **Pillowcases**

"I have to know." Yusuke stared down at Hiei, arms folded over his chest. "What's up with the shirts, dude?"

"What?" Hiei blinked up at the detective.

"The shirts. You look like someone took a pillow case and cut holes in it and slapped it on you." Yusuke gestured to the shirt in question. "And you go through them like water. Who pays for them? Do you sew? Do you have a stockpile of shirts? What's with them?"

"I don't know. Kurama purchases them for me." Hiei plucked at the material with frown. "Ask him."

* * *

"They _are_ pillow cases." Kurama sighed, annoyed. "He goes through too many clothes. I couldn't keep up. I just started buying pillowcases from the discount store and fashioning them into wearable attire. Why do you think they tear so easily?"

Yusuke couldn't answer because he was too busy trying not to choke on his own tongue as he lay wheezing on the floor in a fit of tear-filled laughter.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Mukuro is such a badass. I love her so much and I wish we had gotten more of her in the show. Anyway, I've been wanting to write this scene for a long time. I figured doing it as a one shot would make more sense than shoehorning it into the exposition of The Reborn Forgotten since I've already brushed over the topic a time or two.**

 **Mukuro is fucking powerful, it's hard to write her fighting without it being a one sided massacre, but since her abilities are tied to her rage I think it helped a lot that she finds Shinpi more interesting than threatening.**

 **Here's the fight that brought Mukuro and Shinpi into friendship.**

* * *

 **Allies**

Mukuro stopped walking, her slippers not doing much to protect her feet from the heat of the sand she stood on. The wind whipped around her, biting as it probed her form. The bandages around her face threatened to come undone, her tunic lashing in the gusts. Before her stood the reason for this unusual quest outside of her territory. A pair of cobalt eyes narrowed and cold. Wild red hair shaped into a thick braid that whipped behind the small form of the woman who waited for her.

And Amon-Shinpi did not wait patiently, it seemed. Nor had she come unprepared.

"From one king to another, this isn't normally how things are done." Mukuro informed the other lightly, testing the atmosphere.

Amon-Shinpi didn't respond, but the wind grew sharper as her eyes narrowed further. Her leather tunic, black, fell to the tops of her thighs even in this scalding heat. Pants underneath with straps that secured knives. A quiver on her hip, coupled with a bow. And on the other hip a sword with a red scabbard. Her boots, as black as the rest of her attire, folded just under her knees.

There was a hollowness to this woman's gaze, some darkness hidden in the back of her eyes that earned Mukuro's curiosity. Then she nodded her head toward the large cart at her side, reaching out and tugging on the plain cloth that had covered the contents. The remnants of the fools who had deigned themselves revolutionaries came into view, coagulated blood glinting in the harsh light of the sun.

Mukuro looked at the demoness and then passed her toward the greenery in the distance. The trees and mountains risen from the unending desert. The sky that glowed with a soft blue instead of the hazy red she'd come to accept.

"They were told to retreat." Mukuro stated this as fact.

"They did not listen." For the first time Amon-Shinpi spoke, her voice cutting through the gusts with ease. She hadn't needed to yell, her words carried just fine. "You lack control of your subordinates. I had figured demons like you would demand control over all else."

"Control cannot remove free will. Trust me." Mukuro's unseen blue eye narrowed, her hands clasped behind her back. "What do you want, King Takani?"

"I want my family back." Amon-Shinpi spoke simply. "Seeing as how you cannot bring that to fruition, I'll settle for your head."

That earned a hidden smile from the older of them. "Mouthy little thing, aren't you?"

"Face me so I can get back to my actual business. I'll leave you out here to rot in the sun with your unfortunate soldiers." Amon-Shinpi let her hands remain by her sides.

"And if I refuse?"

This time it was Amon-Shinpi who smirked, the left side of her mouth quirking upwards and a devilish glint entered her eyes. In one moment Mukuro was wondering what the little creature had planned and the next her warded bandages were drifting around her in pieces, the wind sharp as knife tearing through the material. Mukuro's eye widened as the sunlight hit her skin, revealing her scars and features.

"You cannot control this situation, not even by refusing it." Amon-Shinpi warned her.

"I'm far more powerful than you are." Mukuro noted. "You have no hope for winning."

"Those are my favored odds."

Amon-Shinpi spoke the words from directly in front of Mukuro, her movements blurs. She had a knife in each hand, arms forming an X before she pulled the blades to either side, narrowly missing the other kings throat as the woman jumped back. A line of light cut upwards, the wolf demon darting around it in a lithe movement. As she spun to avoid the next slice Mukuro crafted in the dimensional space, Amon-Shinpi aimed to kick the other woman, who leapt back.

It didn't save her from the sharp cut of wind that followed the movement of the wolf demoness's foot. Mukuro threw a punch that took the other woman in the torso, sending her flying back. Amon-Shinpi planted her toes in the sand, her fingers drawing lines through it as she skidded to a stop. Spinning where she landed, she kicked more sand into the air, then whipped one hand around her head in a circular motion, the action forming a spiral of air currents around her. The sandstorm gained speed as Amon-Shinpi bared her teeth, then shoved it toward her opponent.

Another arc cut through the dimensional space and she was too preoccupied to avoid it entirely. It formed a line on the outside of her thigh, the knowledge that it was meant to steal her leg not unnoticed. The sandstorm railed against Mukuro, who shielded her eyes before darting out of the vortex covered in small abrasions.

Amon-Shinpi was there when she broke through, sword drawn. The blade gleamed with blue fire, cutting through Mukuro's tunic and undershirt with ease. She used her bionic arm to shove the weapon away, her other hand moving to cut the wolf demoness down when she spotted that strange smirk again. Amon-Shinpi leapt back from her, rolling across the ground just as the sound of the tornado coming towards them announced its birth.

Mukuro followed after the shorter woman, and it proved a mistake. She feigned a hit, then moved to slam an elbow into the other king. Amon-Shinpi slammed a foot into her ribs instead, smirked again, and darted headfirst into the twister which immediately doubled in size. The material of her leather tunic shredded, catching on the wind.

Mukuro braced herself for impact, but the anomaly petered out before reaching her. The demoness was nowhere to be scene, the air as still as the unending sky above. She quickly slashed around her, forming her dimensional force field as she waited for the irate elemental to reveal herself.

"My web will tatter anything that comes into contact with it." Mukuro called, certain this new king hadn't just gotten herself killed with her own tactic. She turned slowly, noting the cart had been upending and tossed by the savage winds. Body parts lay skewed around the desert, smoldering in the heat. "Meet you end like a-"

The sound of metal screeching and wires snapping cut the words off. Amon-Shinpi held the metallic arm in her hand, breathing as if she'd run some race. Her tunic was missing entirely, revealing the sarashi wrap binding her chest. A scar ran over her left hip bone, another on her ribs.

"Locking your door will not save you from what is already inside your home." Amon-Shinpi informed the other king. Then she pointed her sword at the woman, blue flames alight. "What were you saying, Lord Mukuro? Meet your end?"

She cut an arc of flames and Mukuro evaded them, gracefully flipping over the attack. She feigned a hit, then spun and landed a kick against the other's waiting forearm.

"Enough of this." Mukuro slammed into the other woman with more power, light dancing in her blue eye. When Amon-Shinpi went to roll, Mukuro pinned her to the sand with a knee against her sternum, a hand hovering over the other woman's face with intent to kill. "Call off this crusade, Amon-Shinpi. I'd regret killing someone as capable as you."

Amon-Shinpi dug her heels into the sand, raising her hips in an effort to cast the other off of her. Her spirit was entertaining, if nothing else, Mukuro mused.

"I concede."

It all stopped, the air, the struggling, the body beneath. It all came to a sudden, deafeningly quiet halt as blue eyes widened before slowly tracking over to meet her own. Amon-Shinpi seemed confused for a moment, her lips parted.

"What the hell do you mean you concede?" She growled the words, shoving Mukuro off of her suddenly. As if she could have done it at any moment.

Mukuro smiled at that. If she'd been fighting full strength this dazzling creature would have been dead near-immediately. And if she hadn't already been intrigued by Amon-Shinpi after seeing her in battle, she would have come prepared to do just that. This young, troublesome wolf had unknowingly saved her own life. The smile broadened.

"You cannot concede in a death match." Amon-Shinpi glared over at the other king, her hair partially undone.

"You never said this was a death match."

"It was implied."

"Subtext is not grounds for rules making. Therefore, I concede." Mukuro repeated. "You surprised me when you took my arm. I cannot say that's ever happened before."

"I'm keeping it." The other snapped immediately.

"If you insist." Mukuro agreed, nodding. "For what it's worth, Amon-Shinpi, I do not condone the actions of the soldiers who attacked your clan."

"They killed my parents." Came the acidic response. "Because of you and your war I am now the matriarch of a kingdom I never wished to inherit."

"And I am sure the kingdom will be safe under your rule, despite your vehement reluctance." They both got to their feet. "I'd like to accompany you back to your land and view the spoils I will never receive."

"Oh, fuck off." Amon-Shinpi rolled her eyes, hands on her hips. Mukuro blinked openly at the vulgarity. "You think you can go easy on me, and then throw a _death match_ and then just invite yourself to my kingdom while we mourn the result of your _incompetence_ as a ruler?"

"You knew I wasn't as full strength." Mukuro stated, curious.

"Raizen warned me about you and your gifts." Amon-Shinpi confessed without shame. "I figured if I kept you on your toes you'd be too entertained to become truly wrathful. After all, you only came out to humor me."

"You're in interesting creature, Amon-Shinpi." Mukuro tipped her head to the side, eyes scanning down the other woman. "You're still young, but if you keep this up you'll be an unstoppable force."

"I'm already an unstoppable force. That's why you withdrew your troops." The response came easily.

"Your power pales in comparison to many still."

"It's not my power that makes me unstoppable." Amon-Shinpi stated, then raised a hand and tapped her temple. "Power is critical, but more crucial is understanding how to wield it and when. Everything I see, I study, everything I study I learn. And I see _everything_."

"You're going to convince me that troublesome mind of yours is your most powerful weapon?" Mukuro mused. "I'm inclined to agree with you."

Then Mukuro folded her hands behind her back and began walking toward that sea of green with its hazy blue sky in the center of this abhorrent desert. Compared to the bland surroundings, the oasis seemed a thing of fantasy. A fever dream.

Maybe it was.

Perhaps this had all been the work of the sun, the desert, and the deadly mirages this place was named for.

But Amon-Shinpi began to walk too, clearly irritated. She gripped Mukuro's stolen arm as if she feared the other woman might attempt to pry it from her white knuckled fingers.

"You don't seem worried." Mukuro noted, curious.

"I am not going to fear a woman who can't even feign a punch without squinting." Amon-Shinpi huffed, glaring ahead of them.

Mukuro chuckled at that, the sound causing the wolf demoness to visible bristle. "You will be a worthy ally, I believe."

"Ally nothing. You have nothing I need or want." The other snorted. "Tch. Allies. You think too highly of yourself."

"How did you manage to get behind me?" Mukuro asked quietly, side-eying the woman beside her.

"I wasn't behind you. I was under you. I used the sandstorm to loosen the sand and while you were distracted with that, I formed a tunnel of air underneath. That's why you didn't notice the vortex forming. It was under your feet, not above your head." Amon-Shinpi explained without much reservation.

"Most dangerous weapon indeed." Mukuro lowered her voice, talking mostly to herself. Hands ehind her back she continued their languid pace toward the Takani Territory, wondering how this young leader would continue to grow.


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm still on hiatus, I've just been writing a lot of smut because YYHFanfiction is fucking inspiring me. No other stories will be updated. Love y'all though. Hit me up on Tumblr (wistfulsin) or here!**

NSFW Prompt #74 from YYHFanfiction on Tumblr. Check them out!

You find an injured, white, baby fox which you take home to help heal, not knowing it's Yoko. (This can be in place of his child form if you wish.) Kurama suddenly transforms many years later and you're floored, not only from shock, but also all the embarrassing things he's seen over the years, including you naked.

* * *

It was a small thing, curled in on itself with its nose buried under its back leg, chest rising and falling with labored effort. I would have walked straight passed the pitiful creature if it hadn't been for the blood staining the snow piled around it. As it was, with the storm, I still might've. I only happened to look down at the right time. I tried to keep going, taking a few steps, but found myself turning and kneeling in the snowbank, my gloved hands sliding under the little body.

And thank the gods for those gloves too, because despite the injury and the apparent toll it had taken on the small fox, those teeth still tried to sink into my hand.

"You've got some fight left in you yet." I smiled. "Hush hush. If you'll let me help you, we can weather the storm together. I'll patch you up and when the skies clear, you'll be back on your way."

It was the strangest thing, the tentative calm that befell the animal. It stared at me and I got the strangest sense that it _heard_ me. Not just my voice, but that it understood my words. At any rate, it was far more pliable than before, allowing me to pick it up. I bundled it against my chest inside my jacket and continued my trek home. Living in the mountains had its perks. No neighbors to come calling at inconvenient times, very little traffic. But the drawbacks were there too. I had to walk quite a ways to get to the nearest town for supplies.

The solitude made it all worthwhile though, in my opinion. I was never one for busy streets or loud company.

The wood stove warmed the inside of my cabin, and the heat was welcomed against my wind-rouged cheeks and frozen toes. Gently, I pulled the small fox from my coat and laid it on a blanket in front of the stove so it could get warm. It lay there, watching me, and again I wondered why it felt I was no longer alone in my home. Shedding my layers and kicking off my boots I shirked off the notion setting about gathering some supplies to treat the creature's injured leg.

"You're lucky to still have all four feet, silly thing." I scolded, taking great care to wash the injury before applying antiseptic. That earned a chittering cry and I schooled my expression. "Well, of course it stings. That means it's working. If I don't clean it, it won't heal right. Do you want to lose your paw?"

More chittering, angry and quick, answered me.

"Are you finished?"

Those golden eyes _narrowed_.

"You're a spirited little thing, aren't you?" I sat cross legged and tipped my head to the side. "Well then, get it out of your system. Carry on. I'll wait. Let's just hope you don't bleed to death while you whine."

Abruptly, those sounds came to a stop. I waited and then continued with my work. After I wrapped the wound, I left the creature alone to lounge in the warmth of the stove before adding more pellets. I went into the kitchen and began to prepare my dinner.

It wasn't halfway done before the creature was at my feet, staring up at me with expectation.

"I suppose you'd like something to eat." I stated, looking down, and received only that gilded stare in return. "What sort of host would I be if I didn't treat you to dinner, my little friend?"

We ate together. Me with my rice and smoked fish and broth, and the kit its simple smoked fish. I stared out window and pursed my lips at the raging storm before drawing the curtains closed.

"It's my first winter without my parents." I vocalized to the animal because there was no one else to talk to. "I don't remember storms being this loud before."

The small two room cabin had housed my parents and myself most of my life but they'd passed in the summer. A sickness of some sort. I hadn't been afflicted, and I'd done my best to care for them. In the end, there was nothing I could do. That's what the doctor from the town had said. Now they lay together underneath a sturdy and ancient tree out back, always close but never here.

It was a night of uneasy sleep, my door closed and the cabin quiet save for the raging winds shaking my windows. I woke up to the muted light of sunrise through a snowstorm and the added heat of another body to mine. Blinking, I craned around to study the fox that slept soundly in the small of my back, curled into a tight ball.

How the hell had it gotten in here? I thought I'd closed the door. Frowning, I decided that perhaps the lock hadn't latched and it had been able to nose the door open.

The storm raged for three days. During that time the fox and I kept each other company. Its leg healed quickly, something I marveled at when I removed the bandages. It was a strangely complacent creature, chittering as if speaking and watching me as if it were studying my movements. Once the storm ended and I had cleared a path from my door to the path I used to get to the village, I took the fox back outside, setting it on all four of its working feet.

"You're welcome back anytime. You're a delightful house guest." I offered the creature a gentle pat on the head and straightened, waiting for it to bound away.

It didn't.

It merely stared.

I waited, slowly growing confused. Just as I was about to offer to let it back into the cabin it turned and ran. Frowning, I stared after it.

It was spring the next time I saw the fox. The ground had just thawed and I was working the garden, or attempting to at least. My father had been the green thumb in the family. I lacked his skills with turned earth and vegetation, but I tried. Allowed, I scolded myself, lamenting that if I couldn't manage to plant the seeds for the vegetables and herbs then I'd have no stock for the winter. Meat I could hunt. Some things I could forage. But I'd need more and having surplus to barter with or trade in town could never hurt.

I saw it when I raised my head to wipe sweat from my brow with the back of my wrist. A pair of golden eyes watching me from mere feet away, snow-white fur stark against the growing greenness of the new season.

"Oh, hello." I smiled at the creature and it stared back, keeping its distance. "You've grown my little friend."

And it had.

Maybe it was crazy to think it was the same fox. The kit had been so small when I'd found it, the winter had been exceptionally harsh. This could be a different creature altogether. But I felt that I knew it.

"I was about to take lunch would you like to join me?" I offered, rising to my feet and dusting dirt off my knees.

Instead of answering, the fox merely trotted over and followed me into the cabin. It came around more frequently after that. A few times I found it by the garden in the early morning, paws caked with mud, yet the garden flourished. My haul that year was the best it had ever been, even when my father had tended to the greens. I had enough to can some and still sell others off without fear of going hungry once the skies turned grey and bleak once again.

For years the fox came and went as it pleased. I'd let it in when it scratched at the door and it would sleep in front of the stove during fall and winter or in my bed. Sometimes it went with me into the forest when I went foraging or hunting, helping me find the best mushroom and mountain greens or fowl. Throughout the years, I never shook the feeling that those eyes were seeing more than a fox should've and those ears definitely seemed to respond to words more than tone.

And the strangest things would happen around the creature. I had to question my sanity a time or two. Sometimes it was small, the disappearance of meat from the storage while the lock remained in place. Sometimes it was stranger, a door opening after I'd been sure I had closed it fully.

Because I had learned early on to close the doors fully around the nosy little creature.

More than once I'd been trying to lull myself to sleep with my hand under the sheets, pleasuring myself when suddenly I'd hear the creak of hinges and a pair of golden eyes would be staring into my own, that light warm body standing on my chest. The first time I screamed, startled, and pushed it off the bed. The subsequent times I merely gently moved it to the side. I was never able to finish with the fox in the room. Those eyes just seemed too…attentive.

Even though I _knew_ it was just an animal, sometimes, it seemed _different_. When I changed clothes, it watched me. An unblinking stare that made me feel immodest. The few times it had come with me to the river to bathe had felt like I wasn't actually alone. I suppose, I wasn't. But the company of an animal shouldn't have made me feel so awkward. It really was the eyes, I decided.

Those strange, golden eyes that seemed far too keen.

It was the worst winter in years. I'd barely made it home with all my fingers and toes. My teeth chattered, my nose and cheeks burned from the icy wind. Shivering violently, I kicked off my wet boots to rush over to the wood stove and shove more pellets inside. I had barely gotten the feeling back in my feet when the tell-tale scratching started at the door. I trudged over and opened it, allowing the fox inside before shutting it tightly behind him and throwing the lock. Taking off my coat and hanging it on its peg, I grabbed a quilt from the drying rack by the stove, swathing myself in it and taking my place before the black iron stove once more, still shivering so hard I thought my teeth might shake loose.

A furry head butted at my hand where it clutched the quilt closed around me.

"Of course, you must be frozen to the bone too." I stammered and opened the blanket to allow the fox into my lap.

"Not quite."

I'm not exactly sure what expression I offered to the man who leaned over me suddenly, one hand on my waist under the blanket and the other beside my criss-crossed legs. Long silver hair poured over his shoulders and down his back, golden eyes shining from his narrow face, fox ears atop his head. A white tunic dipping low on his chest, revealing muscular features a primal part of my brain wanted to see more of. Glancing down at the hand on my waist, I hoped, at least, that my wordless response to his appearance was stern.

Unfortunately, from his chuckle, I feel that I feel short of glaring and perhaps looks much more like a frightened mouse. A dangerous creature to resemble in the presence of a rather hungry looking fox.

"Kitsune." I managed the word before wetting my lips and I knew I sounded as shocked as I felt. "That explains a few things."

He grinned and it sped the blood in my veins even as a nervous sweat broke out on my temples and palms. His hand on my side squeezed, just slightly.

"I don't think I have enough smoked meat to feed a man of your size." I admitted, my composure hardly kept. Inside I shook and asked a million questions.

Maybe he could hear them, because he chuckled again, a light entering his eyes making them nearly iridescent. I felt my mouth fall open slightly.

"I'm not interesting in eating your smoked meats."

He leaned over me so much so that I had to lean back. My hands steadied me, palms flat against the floor. The quilt slipped off my shoulders and the cold was forgotten. I had heard legends of kitsune. Tricky creatures. Deceitful. Selfish. Not something to be trifled with lightly. I, however, had never heard any advice on what to do if you found yourself at one's mercy.

"I don't have anything valuable." I told him, forced down onto my elbows as he placed a hand on the floor on either side of my hips and shifted forward. It meant my legs uncrossed, soles of my feet planted on the floor. "But you can take what you want."

"I don't need your permission to steal from you."

I swallowed.

"Are you frightened?" He asked, amused.

"No."

"I can smell when you lie."

I swallowed again. "Then what's the point in asking me? Seems like a waste of your talents."

When he smiled I saw a glint of sharpened canines. Very suddenly things began to click together, as the shock of his transformation from oddly mild-mannered fox into looming kitsune wore off.

"You scoundrel! You should have had the decency to close your eyes when I was undressing!" I scolded him, brow furrowed and lips pursed. "I _knew_ something was strange about the way you watched me! Some fox. You're just a lewd trickster."

"You knew did you? And yet you continued." He moved his hands forward, until they were beside my ribs and I had to crane my head back to stare into his face as he leered over me, straddling my legs on all fours. His silver hair curtained around me so that all I could see was him.

He smelled like the forest.

"You knew I was watching and you still bathed. Still undressed." He lowered his mouth to my ear and I shivered despite myself. "Still touched yourself."

My eyes widened and I sucked in a breath, ready to argue against that. "No, I stopped. I-"

His lips captured mine and I felt my arms give out under me. My back hit the floor and I pressed against the wooden slats with my shoulders. When a long-fingered hand gripped my waist I gasped and the bastard took full advantage, his tongue darting between my lips. If he thought I was going to just allow him to do as he pleased, unabated, he was mistaken.

I kissed him back, hands reaching up to bunch in the fabric of his tunic.

"Allow me to repay you for your hospitality." He purred against my mouth. "I will make up for those nights you were forced to still your fingers due to my presence."

"All at once? You must be confident in yourself. There were many nights I went without completion because of you." I told him, feeling heat in my face and a haze falling over my brain.

"Greedy creature." He stated, glib. "You haven't even received my gratitude and you're already demanding more."

"Greedy? You're the one who took advantage of my kindness." I pointed out. "Surely a kitsune didn't need the help of someone like me all these years."

"Needed? No." He agreed. Then bowed his head to my mouth once more. "But I enjoyed it none the less."

This kiss seared my nerve endings and fried my self-control. I was glad I had the cabin to myself, suddenly, because the moan I let escape my throat was nothing short of wanton. This only seemed to encourage the apparition above me, as his hand slipped under my shirt sliding over my stomach until he found my breast and massaged it. When his fingers found my nipple, squeezing, I cried out, the sound swallowed by the man above me.

"Does that mean you'll allow me to repay you?" He teased, pulling back from my mouth and I panted a yes, because the shiver down my back only flamed the heat in my lower stomach.

The wood stove felt cold in comparison to my skin under the attention of the kitsune as he stripped my clothes off of me, allowing me to lay on the quilt I'd used to stave off the chill not long before. His bare chest was muscled, his skin smooth as he kissed and nipped his way from my mouth to my lower stomach. His tail made one pass side to side behind him before he offered me the most deliberate and wicked grin I'd ever seen before dipping his face between my thighs.

I gripped the quilt by my head with one fist while the other clawed into the fabric by my hip, my back arching as his tongue slid over my folds and teased that too-sensitive knot of nerves at the apex of my sex. My teeth pressed together until he sucked on that bud and I couldn't keep myself from crying out in pleasure, my hips shifting towards him for _more._ He obliged me, teasing me with that wicked tongue and nipping at me with those sharp teeth. I found myself in the throes of a climax too soon for my taste, panting and left lying against the quilt with heavy lidded eyes and skin that no longer needed cover to fight the cold.

I threw one arm over my eyes, the light feeling too bright in the aftermath of my orgasm. I felt his hands travel up over my thighs, then my stomach and eventually to my waist, gripping both sides. For the size of his hands I thought his fingers might touch behind my back. I pulled my arm away from my face to study him and maybe thank him.

"You look tempting flushed this way." He told me, the gold in his eyes glimmering around swollen pupils. "Truly, a prize worth taking."

His meaning didn't fully dawn on me until I felt his head press against my entrance, then pull back. Then to my entrance again, teasing me.

"Then take it." I told him, doing my best to demand and not beg.

He didn't need any further prompting, his hands tightening around me as entered me in a fluid motion that had me arching my back again, shoulders pressed to the floor. He didn't move slowly or even softly. No. He did as I told him to.

He took me.

He took me for all my worth, relentless and without shame. I found myself demanding more, repeatedly, desperate as another wave of release mounted in me, but every time I nearly crested, he pulled back just enough to pull me from the threshold with him. The third time he did this I nearly cried, the crazed heat in my lower stomach eating me alive. My brain was muddled with it. I was a desperate woman, and he was a man who refused to give in.

Breathless, at my wits ends, I moaned, writhing as I grabbed onto the quilt for something to hold. Anything to stabilize me. It didn't help.

By the fifth denial I was a mess, no longer able to keep the words from escaping my mouth, begging for some grain of empathy. And the kitsune laughed at me, thoroughly enjoying my display of weakness I'm sure. But his thrusts grew rough, his hands moving down to my hips to lift them to his liking, one leg thrown over his shoulder. Not that I wasn't simply putty in his hands anyway. Which he figured out, to his obvious delight, when he was able to roll me to by stomach and pull me to my hands and knees.

"I can't take it." I panted, lost in the sensation of his skin on mine, on him inside me. "I can't take anymore."

"I don't believe you." He breathed against my ear, leaning over me from behind and I mewled as he took my earlobe in his teeth.

My mouth fell open and I felt my orgasm coming like a tornado, ready to tear me apart. I was right there when he stilled, offering a laugh that clued me in that he knew exactly what he was doing to me. I curled my hands into fists, knuckles pressing down into the quilt beneath us and lifted my head to gather myself as the sensation ebbed for the sixth time. I didn't get a full reprieve. He was pounding back into me the next second, more erratic and relentless than before.

When his fingers moved to play between my legs, his breath on my neck from behind, I prayed for release. I hadn't meant for the words to fall on his ears but they spilled from my lips anyway. With intention he teased my sex, then pinched that bundle of nerves, and my arms collapsed as I finally came. The shudder that racked me robbed me of sight for a moment and I vaguely heard myself call out, repeatedly, some mantra of yeses. And the man behind me delighted in it, chuckling and moving back to grasping my hips. He found his own release minutes after I did, and I twitched when he came, my eyes rolling up into my head at the overwhelming pleasure of it all.

It took a few minutes for my senses to return. I slowly gathered my wits and sorted them back to the parts of me where they came from as the kitsune pulled out from me. I lowered myself to the quilt and laid out, rolling to my back once more with my arm cast over my eyes to avoid the light of the cabin. The press of lips and a firm hand moving my arm above my head earned my dazed attention.

"You're right. I don't think that was enough. You should expect me back at my leisure." The fox demon sucked on my bottom lip. "I'm called Yoko Kurama. You'll want to remember that for next time."

"Next time." I muttered, too lost still to fully respond. "Yoko Kurama."

He chuckled and laid beside me and for the first time in years I didn't even hear the winter storm that raged.


	11. Chapter 11

**Still on hiatus except for smut apparently. I'm not sorry.**

Prompt 47 from YYHFanfictions NSFW Promptapalooza: Keiko enjoys being the best sub she can for Yusuke, even if she sometimes acts like a brat. When Yusuke says he wants to watch her get reamed by Hiei, she slightly balks at the idea, but can't help the way it makes her instantly wet. Yusuke knows he made the right decision when he watches Hiei sink into Keiko from behind. What he doesn't expect is how hard he rolls his eyes back in his head when he feels Hiei slip into her tight ass while he's in her cunt

* * *

It all started with a trip to the temple. A simple, friendly get together during which, naturally, Yusuke had to try to fight _everyone_. Keiko sighed, looking on dully as he harassed his former team while she spoke with Yukina and Shizuru. Yukina happily recanted how she was adjusting quite well to living with the Kuwabaras and wasn't Kazuma just such a kind man? He even leant her his old school books so she could study. His notes weren't very neat though.

"Yeah, he's always had bad handwriting." Keiko smiled. "I'll lend you mine, if you'd like."

"Oh, that's right, you went to the same school!"

"Fine. If it will get you to shut up, I'll fight you." The brusque voice growled, and Keiko glanced over once more to see Yusuke beaming at Hiei with his hands on his hips.

The fire demon slid off the windowsill where he'd been doing his best to stay out of the way, and Keiko had the thought that in his time away he'd grown. Just like Yusuke over the last few years his shoulders had broadened, and he'd gained a little height. He sauntered past and Keiko moved her attention to her boyfriend.

"You coming to watch?" Yusuke slid his arm around Keiko's waist, his hand sliding into her back pocket. His cheeky grin earned a huff from her.

"No." She turned her face away, nose in the air. "Honestly, Yusuke, this is supposed to be a good time."

"Ah, come on Keiko! Fighting _is_ a good time." He pinched her ass, leaning close to her ear so he could whisper. "Besides, don't pretend you don't like watching me get sweaty."

She blushed, tried to hide it and then sighed. "Yusuke, you're such a perv."

"Come watch." The command was uttered with a grin, but she heard it none the less. "I like it when you watch me."

Rolling her eyes, she relented and followed him out the door with a few others. Kuwabara yelled something at Hiei and the fire demon huffed in response. Kurama sidled beside Keiko, the opposite side of Shizuru and lulled a comment about some things never changing. Keiko had to agree. No matter how old he got it seemed Yusuke would never outgrow being a brawler, not really.

"It's not showing off if you lose." Hiei pointed out to Yusuke, watching the detective shed his shirt so it wouldn't be ruined. "If you want to keep your woman's respect, you should send her back inside."

"Not too worried about it." Yusuke shrugged and then grinned at his friend. "You gonna stand there yapping all day, or are you gonna hit me?"

Hiei threw off his cloak and shirt as well, smirking. Then he lunged forward and…

And that's really all Keiko could see. Every now and then, when the two of them slowed down, she'd see a punch being thrown or a kick being blocked but beyond that the flitting motions were beyond her senses. She did see that Hiei and Yusuke locked up, toward the end, blood streaming from both their noses and bruises marring their ribs. Hiei flipped Yusuke to the ground, put a foot on his throat and smirked, panting.

Keiko stared. When Yusuke got to his feet, laughing and throwing an arm around Hiei's shoulders, she tried not to look at the two of them, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"Honestly, you're both nothing but trouble." She complained, hands on her hips as they walked toward the temple. "Look at you! Get inside so we can clean you up."

Hiei glared at her and she stared back, chin lifted.

"I said inside." Keiko pointed toward the temple doors and Yusuke complained but followed her order, dragging Hiei with him.

Patching them up was easy work, she cleaned the blood off their faces and chests with a wet cloth before Yukina healed them.

"That stings." Hiei grabbed her wrist when she dabbed at his nose, wrenching it to the side.

"Then stop squirming." Keiko shot back at him. "You didn't hear Yusuke complaining."

Hiei released her, eyes narrowed and allowed her to take his chin in her hand so she could continue her work. His eyes dipped down her, glancing at the skin her shirt exposed when she leaned forward. He guessed she didn't know her tits were practically hanging out. Looking back at her face he smirked, and then noticed Yusuke over Keiko's shoulder, being healed by Yukina. Those dark brown eyes glued to his own, some dark expression taking over the detective's features.

A knowing smirk lifted Hiei lips and he looked back at Keiko, leaning back some on his hands and widening his legs so she had to stand between them if she wanted to continue helping him.

It was soft, but Hiei heard it. The slight breath Yusuke sucked in.

"You're blushing." Hiei stated this with great humor, eying the detective's woman.

"I'm not." Keiko denied, but she was. She swallowed. "Everything around you is just warmer."

She stilled when the air temperature changed, and she didn't look at Hiei's face because it had gotten cooler and she knew her cheeks were still glowing. And now he knew it too. And worst of all, Yusuke knew it.

"How did you do that?" She asked quietly.

"You prefer the heat?" Hiei tipped his head to the side and she wasn't exactly sure how to respond to him talking to her so much or so… playfully?

"Hiei."

Crimson eyes moved from Keiko to Yusuke, one eyebrow raised at the sound of his name. Yusuke's eyes narrowed on him. It was in that moment Hiei decided he was done. He pushed Keiko's hands away from him, slid out of the chair she'd forced him into, and walked out of the room without another word, Yusuke watching him the whole time.

"Thanks Yukina, I'm all set." Yusuke stared after Hiei, still glaring, and waited until the ice maiden was gone before he turned his attention to his girlfriend. All at once his expression turned wicked. "Close the door, Keiko."

Heat lapped at her cheeks but she did as he told to. There was a certain way Yusuke said things, sometimes. It wasn't that she heeded his every command without question. He didn't have that much power over her. But in that _particular_ voice, with that _special_ grin, she couldn't find the will to argue. Ever since he'd come back from his stint in Demon World, he'd been like this. It didn't happen all the time, but when it did she fell into it entirely. Something Yusuke had moaned his pleasure about on several occasions.

She walked over to him, dropping the cloth in the bowl of water she'd been using to clean it on the way. Standing before Yusuke, knowing her cheeks were only growing redder, she swallowed. "Yusuke, I'm not sure we should be doing this here."

"Arguing?" He grabbed her arm and pulled her closer. "Oh, Keiko, you know that won't get you anywhere except bent over my knee."

Her knees wobbled and she chewed her lip. "But, Yusuke, the others-"

"Afraid they'll hear you moaning like a cat in heat?" He purred and his fingers were already undoing the fly of her pants. "Maybe they'll come in and check on us and see you taking me balls deep. You'd probably like that."

"Yusuke." She whined softly as he pulled her pants down, sticking his hand between her thighs as he kissed her roughly, before moving onto nipping at her earlobe.

"Begging won't keep me from punishing you." Yusuke's fingers moved inside her and he felt her clench. "Mm. You like that idea, Keiko? Like the thought of me spanking that perfect ass until it's as red as your face?"

She didn't really need to answer and he didn't wait for her to. The next second she was bent over his lap, his hand coming down hard and fast until tears rolled down her cheeks. But it wasn't just her eyes that were soaking wet. And Yusuke noticed, rumbling about what a dirty girl she was to be so excited by him spanking her. It was with shaky limbs that she heeded his command to get onto the floor on her hands and knees.

Yusuke's thrusts were impatient and rough, and they drew keening moans from her to the point he laughed. Muttering against her ear about her _wanting_ them to be found, he pushed two fingers into her mouth.

"I know how much you like to suck things." He growled and Keiko's eyes nearly rolled up into her head. "Come for me, Keiko. Be my good girl."

She nearly collapsed, her orgasm hit her so hard, but Yusuke held her up, fingers in her mouth and other arm looped around her chest, squeezing her breast, so she was leaning back against him as he continued to pound into her until he reached his own climax.

It hadn't always been this way between them. It had taken time for them to get to his point, honestly. She'd been downright defiant early on, arguing at every turn with Yusuke when he wanted to try something. But slowly, eventually, she'd relented. Her fears that Yusuke wanting to dominate her meant he didn't respect her, or that she was just a body to him were laid to rest. In fact, it was the opposite. After the first time of really letting him take control, he'd all but smothered her with thank yous and compliments. That had been two years before.

Now, instead of all the setup of having to talk through each and every scenario in detail beforehand to ease her anxiety, Keiko just _submitted_. She trusted Yusuke. He knew her lines and he never crossed them. He might push, and he might negotiate and try to get her to try something she'd been certain she wouldn't like, but he never did anything without knowing it was fine ahead of time.

"You're fucking beautiful, Keiko." Yusuke panted against the side of her neck, still inside her. He withdrew his fingers and turned her to kiss him, his eyes heavy lidded. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"Not much, really." She teased and he chuckled, releasing her. Knowing what he wanted, she went back to her hands and knees on even more unstable limbs.

Yusuke swore behind her, his hands sliding over her ass, squeezing, rubbing. He pulled out slowly. "I wish I had a camera. There's something sexy about watching my cum slide out of you."

Keiko bit her lip, her face flush again. "Yusuke, you perv."

He slapped his hand on her still reddened ass once more in response.

* * *

Whenever the four of them got together, Keiko felt a pang of anxiety. The question of "Is he leaving again?" on repeat in her mind as she prepared dinner for the four men in her living room. It was an innocent enough gathering, despite her concern. Just four friends hanging out, discussing politics.

"Woman." Hiei's voice startled her, making her jump as she cut some fish. "My drink is empty."

Keiko turned toward him with a wince, rushing to grab a paper towel to cover the cut she'd just given herself. "There's more in the fridge."

Hiei's hand flashed out, wrapping around her wrist to examine her cut. "Useless."

"Excuse yo-" Keiko's mouth fell open but no words came out, they'd all dried with her tongue as her eyes grew wide.

Hiei pulled her wounded finger into his mouth, running his tongue over her cut. His mouth was _hot_. Keiko realized quickly that the reason her mouth had gone dry was because most of the liquid in her body seemed to be in her panties suddenly. When Hiei pulled her finger passed his lips slowly, he looked at her.

"Get it for me." He told her, licking his lips clean of any remaining drops of scarlet.

Keiko had already handed him another can of beer before realizing that she'd complied so easily when she should have told him to stop being a jerk. This was _her_ apartment after all. He had no right to bark orders at her. But Hiei was already back in the living room with the others and she was too distracted by a sudden flood of guilt.

Kurama and Kuwabara left first, not too long after dinner. Keiko made every excuse she could to be out of the room while Hiei lingered. She busied herself with cleaning up after the meal, washing dishes and putting food away. Yusuke and the fire demon lounged on the couch, discussing some aspect of Demon World.

"So, Hiei." Yusuke lowered his voice and glanced toward the kitchen. "Since when do you have any interest in human women?"

"Since former demon kings began bragging about how _fulfilling_ they can be." Hiei drawled back, sipping from his now-warm beer. "It's your fault for flaunting her. I _am_ a thief. I like to take things that aren't mine."

Yusuke stared at him for a moment, then tipped his head to the side and glanced at the kitchen again. Then back to Hiei. Then the kitchen. The idea of Hiei fucking Keiko was surprisingly…arousing. He wondered how she'd react to being taken by the fire demon. The image of watching his friend fuck his girlfriend senseless while he watched, getting to see her struggle not to cum, it was a little too exciting. He'd never thought about it before.

"She won't allow it." Hiei spoke, but his voice had grown rough. From his blown pupils it was obvious to Yusuke that he'd been inside his head. "She's already wallowing in guilt for enjoying the feel of my tongue on her finger."

"Your what?" Yusuke glared at him until he explained, in sparse language, the events in the kitchen. "God, I'm going to fuck the function out of her legs tonight."

"Shameless." Hiei accused lightly, not looking bothered by the news at all. He glanced down to the obvious erection in Yusuke's pants. Then he smirked. "You're entertaining this idea, still."

"It's hot." Yusuke shrugged.

"The idea of me ruining your precious Keiko for your amusement is _hot_?" Hiei raised his eyebrow. "Demon World did leave its mark on you, didn't it?"

"If I get her to agree to it, would you?" Yusuke lowered his voice again, because this was too much for him not to try.

"I have conditions." Hiei hedged. "But if they are met, then yes. I'll fuck your woman for you."

Yusuke nearly came in his pants.

* * *

Keiko panted, her voice shaking with every unintelligible syllable falling from her lips. But Yusuke got the gist of what she wanted and he grabbed her hips hard enough to leave bruises and continued to pound into her without restraint. He hadn't expected her to react so well to the introduction of the anal toys. But over the last few weeks she'd been _perfectly_ accepting.

So much so that she was having her third orgasm since he'd begun fucking her with the anal plug in place. He'd made her cum once from just using the toy, after a step up period to adjust her to it.

"Goddamn, this feels so good." He panted, eyes closed. "You just feel so fucking full with something in your ass, Keiko. I can't take it. I can't wait until you're ready for that to be my cock. I'm going to cum just thinking about."

"Yusuke." She mewled his name, clutching at the sheets and entirely at his mercy. The idea of him fucking her _there_ , it made her embarrassingly hot.

"You like that, Keiko? You want my cock in your ass?" He was getting so close to his edge.

"Yes!" She cried out and he lost it, cumming so hard he saw stars. Keiko shook underneath him, panting harshly and covered in sweat. "Oh my god, Yusuke, that was so-"

"I'm not done with you yet." He tried to catch his breath, refusing to pull out of her.

There was no better truth detector than Keiko's pussy, in his opinion. It never lied. And what he was going to say next required her to be completely honest with him. He'd been trying to work up to this for _weeks_ and now felt like a good time.

"I'm going to give you what you want, Keiko." He purred against her ear, leaning over her and placing kissing along her shoulders. "I'm going to fuck your ass nice and slow because you asked me to."

" _Yusuke_." Keiko lifted her hips, feeling him grow hard again inside her. Yusuke's hands went to the toy buried in her other hole and began to slowly play with it. Pulling it out, pushing it in. The action made her moan, long and drawn out.

"But that means you need to do something for me." He went on, still kissing her back, neck, shoulders, until he spoke against the cup of her ear. "I want to see Hiei fuck you."

There it was. The telltale clench of her walls around his cock and it made him moan, rocking his hips slightly.

"Yusuke, I couldn't." She whimpered.

"Your pussy tells a different story, Keiko. I think you want Hiei to fuck you." Yusuke moaned when she tightened again. "Be my good girl, Keiko. Give me what I want."

She shivered, and then, in a small voice offered, "Okay, Yusuke."

He pulled the plug free and she shook against the feel of the lube he poured over her. Pulling out of her and watching his cum follow, he slicked himself with the lubricant as well before positioning himself behind her.

"That's what I like to hear." He pushed in slowly, giving her all the time she needed to adjust.

* * *

The plan was set, in a way. Yusuke seemed to know when it would happen, at least. Keiko alone seemed out of the loop. She knew, sometime soon, she'd find herself under Hiei and totally at his mercy. The thought wasn't awful, but it was intimidating. The fact Yusuke would be in the room, watching, both made her feel guilty and incredibly wet.

So when she came home after a girl's day to find the fire demon lounging with her boyfriend in their living room, her heart nearly beat through her ribcage for the sudden nerves that seized her.

"Afternoon." She offered, trying to sound like her usual self before breezing into the bedroom to drop off her bags.

When she returned Yusuke and Hiei were still engrossed in conversation.

"Does anyone want a snack?" She offered, going toward the kitchen. She returned with a tray full of drinks and some snacks, setting them on the coffee table by the two men. When she bent over to set the tray down, her skirt rose up in the back.

A hot hand slid up her leg, squeezing her exposed hamstring. Keiko yelped, spinning around with wide eyes. Hiei eyed her, clearly amused by her nerves.

Yusuke pulled her onto the couch, laughing, and kissed her neck. But the way he held her meant her legs were spread, her skirt gathered up on her the tops of her thighs so she was certain Hiei could see her white cotton panties. Her face turned red when her suspicion was confirmed by the fact crimson eyes strayed between her legs.

"Yusuke!" Keiko called out, shocked when his hand slid under her shirt and squeezed her breast.

"No arguments tonight, Keiko." He muttered against her ear, pinching her nipple after pulling down the cup of her bra.

She craned back against him, eyes closing as the shock of pain went right to the apex of her sex. When she opened her eyes, it was to see Hiei studying her with a dark expression. Pure hunger on his face.

"Hiei looks uncomfortable, you should help him." Yusuke caught her earlobe in his teeth, then sucked on it. "You should show him how good you are with your mouth."

Swallowing, Keiko trembled, caught between wanting to fulfill that gentle order and not wanting to appear too eager. But Hiei had heard, and with a wicked smirk he undid his belts before pulling his length out of his pants. Keiko sucked in a breath, eyes wide, but Yusuke pushed her forward gently, and into Hiei's chest.

It was hard to deny the desire on both men's faces. She glanced at Yusuke over her shoulder to be sure this was still alright and found his eyes nearly black for the size of his pupils. Sliding off the couch, she knelt between Hiei's legs, one on the couch, bent at the knee, and the other flat footed on the floor. Looking up at Hiei again, she saw nothing but want on his face. So she reached forward and wrapped her hand around him before dipping her head down to slide her tongue over his head, already slick with precum.

Hiei moaned, a hand moving into her hair, as she licked him all over until he was glistening in the light. "Stop playing."

Keiko looked up at him through her lashes and took his swollen head into the heat of her mouth. She took her time, taking in his length and rolling her tongue underneath it before sliding back up to lavish his head. As she worked the two men fell back into conversation, though it held more pauses and sharp intakes of breath.

"I didn't say you could stop." Hiei's hand tightened in the brunette strands of Keiko's hair when she released him after fifteen minutes.

"My jaw hurts." She complained, rubbing at the joint with a pout.

It seemed those words triggered something that had been lying in wait for the right time, because Hiei's eyes glimmered and he wrapped his fingers around the bottom of her jaw. "Sounds like maybe you need some help then. Maybe you aren't up to the task. I guess I'll have to do the work for you."

His hands tightened in her hair and Keiko moaned, her thighs rubbing together.

"Open your mouth so I can fuck it until _I_ decide you've had enough." Hiei commanded and adjusted himself so that both feet were on the floor.

Keiko stared up at him, her lips parted, and she felt his hand on her bottom jaw tighten until she opened her mouth. The sudden invasion of Hiei's cock in her throat made her choke but also had her eyes rolling up into her head. He moved his other hand into her hair as well, pulling on it and using it to angle her head where he wanted it. Every time she choked or gagged, Hiei twitched in her mouth.

"I finally found a use for humans." Hiei threw his head back. "I always knew your mouth had to have some use other than annoying the shit out of me."

"She swallows." Yusuke voiced, his own tone throaty and rough.

Hiei offered a pleased groan at that. "Is that true, Keiko? Do you swallow every drop of seed that enters your mouth?"

Keiko moaned, nodding at best as she could with him holding her head still so he could fuck her face at his own pace.

"You don't just swallow. You _like_ it. You like the way cum tastes. Say it." Hiei pulled out of her mouth, looking like the action pained him.

"Say it?" Keiko gazed up at him with hazy eyes.

"You want to taste my cum?" Hiei asked and she nodded lazily. "So say it. Tell me, in front of your detective, how much you like the idea of me cumming on your tongue."

"I want you to cum in my mouth. I want to swallow everything you give me." Keiko panted, lips parted and desperately wet. Honestly, she might just cum herself. Between Hiei's rough use of her and Yusuke watching like he was seeing his favorite play, she was already at her wits end.

There were no more words. Hiei just growled and started to thrust into her mouth again. Whenever she gagged Hiei assured her that she could take it. He commented a few times on how much she must love being used. He could _smell_ how aroused she was. He withdrew again, telling her open her mouth and stroked himself twice before shooting his load on her waiting tongue.

He made her wait to swallow, made her wait until squirmed. And when some escaped her lips, he caught it with his thumb and made her thick the digit clean.

"Holy fuck." Yusuke was trying not to touch his painful arousal, gaping at his girlfriend whose makeup had smeared on the corners of her eyes and his friend who was still regaining his breath with his cock out.

"I want to you fuck you in your bed." Hiei told Keiko, taking her chin in his hand. "So that whenever your king is inside you, you think of me."

Yusuke moaned to himself, getting up to follow when Hiei pulled Keiko toward the bedroom. The fire demon wasted no time in stripping Keiko out of her clothes and she allowed him with total compliance before pulling his shirt over his head for him. Hiei kicked off his pants as Yusuke entered the room, taking up a chair he'd pulled in for just his occasion.

"Get on the bed." Hiei growled and Keiko did as she was told.

She laid on her back, legs spread and lip caught in her teeth. Hiei raked his eyes over her then crawled so that he was straddling one of her legs, a hand sliding up the inside of her thigh until it reached her sex. Sliding a finger long her lips to test her wetness he found her more than ready. His fingers traced higher and he pinched her clit between them, relishing in her gasp and the way her back arched.

"I'm not your lover. I don't care about seeing your face. Get on your hands and knees so I can use you for my pleasure." Hiei withdrew his hand and watched as Keiko scrambled to comply.

Her skin was so hot, her brain mush. When she glanced at Yusuke, his lips were parted and it seemed he'd given up on not touching himself because his cock was in his hand and he was stroking it slowly. The idea that he was so hard, so needy because another man was taking her made her all the more wet. Hiei's hands on her hips made her close her eyes and sigh.

He teased her folds with the head of his cock, then pulled back when she pushed for him to enter her. "Such a needy fucking animal you have here, Yusuke. You've been neglecting her."

"Show me how it's done." Yusuke swallowed, and Hiei locked eyes with him before thrusting roughly into Keiko from behind. "Fuck."

Keiko cried out, head back. Any previous sense of guilt or decorum left her entirely. "That feels so good."

Hiei smirked. "Yeah? You like the way my cock feels?"

"Yes." She trembled.

"Cum as many times as you'd like. Honestly, it doesn't matter to me." Hiei told her. "I'm not here for your pleasure, I'm here for _mine_."

Keiko lost it, keening and crying his name as her fingers bunched in the comforter. Within minutes her arms gave out, sending her face down into the mattress and Hiei purred his pleasure with the new angle. She buried her face in the crook of her arm, and then opened her eyes to spot Yusuke. Another orgasm shook her and her legs nearly gave out. Hiei's hands on her hips were the only thing keeping her up and he didn't seem to mind.

Yusuke watched as Hiei drew his own thumb into his mouth, eyes glued to Keiko's ass. Her whiny mewl when Hiei's digit circled her hole only encouraged the fire demon to push it into her. Then, breathlessly, he growled. "You know why the detective adjusted you to things like this, Keiko?"

"Because he wanted to fuck my ass." Keiko stammered through the response, the same one Yusuke had made her repeat whenever he introduced one of the anal toys that had stretched her for him. Every time he asked if she knew why he was doing it, and then he'd make her say that phrase.

"Is that what he told you?" Hiei growled and withdrew his thumb so he could lean over her on all fours, his breath hot against the shell of her ear. "It's because I only agreed to fuck you if I could cum in _every hole you have_."

Keiko shuddered again and moaned, pushing up into each of his thrusts.

"That was only one of my rules." Hiei teased her. "I think you'll like the others just as much."

"Others?"

"But first, before I can fill up that hole, I need to fill this one." He told her and felt her clench around him.

At his words, they heard another grunt and Hiei turned to smirk at Yusuke who stared at the cum coating his fingers.

"Oh look, another treat for you." Hiei pulled back to his knees. "Detective, don't deprive your woman."

Yusuke blinked, then some sense seemed to come back to him. "You're right, Hiei. What was I thinking?"

He walked over and offered his slicked fingers to his girlfriend who happily licked them clean, drawing them into her mouth to be sure as Hiei fucked her from behind. The fire demon watched, and with a snarl, came so deep that Keiko cried out again. He hesitated to withdraw, dazed slightly. Yusuke tossed him a bottle of lube with a knowing smirk and Keiko regained enough strength to get on her hands again.

"This is so hot." Yusuke kissed her deeply, cupping her face. "You're doing such a good job, Keiko."

"She really is." Hiei agreed, slicking himself with the bottle Yusuke had offered him before pressing a slick finger to her back entrance. "I can see why you like coming home now."

Keiko's eyes fluttered closed at the presence of Hiei's finger, then she gasped when he quickly added a second. Yusuke smiled at his girlfriend and kissed her again, relishing in the way she moaned into his mouth when Hiei hit a rhythm she liked. She rocked back to meet his fingers, and the fire demon clicked his tongue in appreciation.

"And dude, not to be weird, but you're kinda hot too." Yusuke looked at Hiei. "I didn't expect that."

"Hn. Imagine if you were the one I was fucking." Hiei smirked and it made Yusuke blush, stammering a little. "Maybe next time."

Yusuke turned red and Keiko blinked at him, then she smiled and it was a wicked expression. "I think I'd like to see that."

"Keiko!" Yusuke balked.

"She'll be able to tell you how good it feels to have my cock in your ass." Hiei purred, and then withdrew his fingers, lining himself up. He pushed in slowly, breath caught behind his teeth.

Keiko arched her back, mouth falling open. It took a moment to adjust. It was easier to tell that Hiei was thicker than Yusuke this way. But the fire demon seemed more inclined to give her time than she wanted, so she pressed back and fucked herself on him, slowly.

"I'm so hard." Yusuke complained, watching as Hiei kept his eyes glued to Keiko moving over his dick.

"She's your woman, Yusuke. I'm just using her." Hiei pointed out, distracted. "Shove your cock down her throat and join me."

Keiko tightened at the idea and Hiei voiced her reaction with glee. That's how she found herself getting taken from both sides, Hiei finally taking over the act of fucking her and Yusuke's hands buried in her hair while she sucked on his dick. It was difficult to keep a decent pace with Hiei being so incredibly adept at making her cum, but she tried. Despite knowing she hadn't been on her best game, she still made a noise of complaint when Yusuke pulled out of her mouth.

Hiei pulled out from her ass and she definitely complained about that. "I thought you said you-"

"You don't get to choose when I cum or how I fuck you." Hiei warned her, but it was with a smirk. "This will benefit me as much as it will him."

"Yusuke?" Keiko asked when her boyfriend slid under her. It dawned on her slowly, what was happening as Yusuke pushed into her dripping sex. Then Hiei reentered her ass, and she came just from the presence of two men inside her.

Her nails dug into Yusuke's chest and he chuckled, wrapping his hands around the back of her thighs. It took a few minutes, but Hiei and him found a rhythm and it was almost impossible not to cum immediately. He could feel Hiei moving, and the added fullness was driving him crazy. Not to mention Keiko was a mewling, sweaty, crying mess begging for more, more, more. Her demands faded into nonsensical vowel sounds.

Hiei came first, hands flexing on her hips as he buried himself to the hilt and that action was enough to spur Yusuke over the edge, Keiko stuck between them.

After a few minutes of recovery all three of them lie in the bed, Keiko still in the middle as Yusuke murmured sweet nothings to her, calling her a goddess and thanking her. His hands gently massaged her breasts as he kissed her mouth and neck and cheek. Hiei lay on his back, eyes closed but one arm touching the woman's side.

"What were your other rules?" Keiko asked after a time, finally swimming up from the desperate haze of multiple intense orgasms.

Hiei kept his eyes closed, but his mouth quirked into a smirk.

"Did you like me fucking you?" He asked.

"Well, yes, but I don't see-"

"Would you like to do it again?" Hiei turned to her then, eyes on fire with the heat radiating in them.

"Right now?" She balked, not sure she could possibly.

He chuckled and rolled over, nipping at her ear. "No, woman, not right now. But the next time the moment catches me, wherever the moment catches me."

Her eyes darted to Yusuke who grinned.

"I may have said that if you were into it, it'd be fine if you two fooled around sometimes." Yusuke admitted, rubbing his neck. "The idea of him fucking you was just so hot and I wanted to make it happen-"

She turned back to Hiei and nodded. "Sounds fine with me. By the way, I meant what I said before."

Hiei turned his attention to Yusuke, eyes roving down the other's naked form.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Yusuke put up his hands.

"You'll get used to it, detective." Hiei assured him before closing his eyes once more. "Perhaps we could even switch places from time to time. On my terms."

"You mean me, fuck you?" Yusuke was a little surprised by how quickly that thought made him hard.

"Later, maybe." Hiei relaxed, exhausted.

Keiko giggled and closed her eyes too, rolling to her stomach to nuzzle the pillows. And eventually Yusuke curled next to her, stroking her hair until all three of them fell asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm still on hiatus, I'm just really bad at taking breaks.**

 **Have an AU no one asked for! Cop!Hiei gets mistaken for a stripper by undercover narc agent!Shinpi.**

* * *

Hiei glowered as he rapt his knuckles against the white painted door three times. When the noise inside the house continued, he knocked again. On the third attempt he pounded against the wood.

"For fuck sake, it's open." The door jerked inward to reveal a redheaded woman slightly taller than himself. She shot him a look with blue eyes, annoyance clear in her glare, before the expression faded when she tipped her head to the side. With a slowly unfurling grin she assessed him from his head to his toes then back up.

Leaning against the door jam, she sipped her drink.

"Are you the owner of this residence ma'am?" Hiei asked curtly.

"I am." She assured him.

"Your neighbors called in a complaint about the noise." He told her, eyes narrowed slightly. "Turn it down."

"Or what? You'll punish me for being a bad girl?" She sipped her drink again, smirking while tossing him a wink.

"Excuse me?" Hiei blinked at her.

"Convincing getup." She complimented, reaching over to brush her fingertips over his last name where it pinned to his chest.

"Ma'am, I'm only going to tell you one more time to turn the music down." He stared at her and watched the implication of his threat fly over her head.

"Very convincing." She purred. "How much would it cost to get you to use those cute little handcuffs on me?"

"You know, it's actually free of charge." He grabbed her arm and jerked her around, pinning her to the wall while fastening her hands together behind her back. "Ma'am, you're under arrest for attempting to solicit a uniformed officer."

"Wow, you're really into this." She looked at him over her shoulder, and he saw the haze clear from her eyes slightly. When her circumstance actually hit her she banged her head against the doorframe, closing her eyes. "Oh fuck me."

* * *

"Name?"

"Mikamoto Iruni."

"Known Aliases?"

"None."

The redhead answered each question, her tone bereft of its previous humor. She remained in the hard plastic seat next to Officer Jaganshi's desk, lips pressed into a line. She shot him another look through narrowed blue eyes as he took his time doing his intake report.

"I want to speak to your boss." She finally told him. "Now."

"No." He didn't even look away from the monitor to answer her. "How many drinks did you have tonight Miss Mikamoto?"

"Too many." She glared away from him. "But I'm sober as hell now."

"Ball park too many for me."

"These allegations are absurd. You realize that don't you?" She shifted her dark expression to him. "Don't take your bad night out on me, officer."

"You're complaining an awful lot for a woman who asked to be arrested." Hiei pointed out.

"Obviously I hadn't realized you were a cop."

"Yes, I'm sure the uniform made it very confusing." He raised his eyebrows and went back to typing out their interaction. "Being a fool isn't a legal defense."

She shifted her attention from his profile toward the sound of a door opening. A woman with shaggy copper hair stepped out of her office, marred skin covering half her face and extending down her neck. Blue eyes met blue eyes and Mukuro raised a curious brow before strolling over. Hands on her hips she studied the scene, a wry grin in place as she looked over the woman staring her down. Hiei turned then, the presence of his commanding officer earning his attention. He frowned at her openly.

"What?" He asked dully.

"Just wondering what this is." Mukuro spoke with barely contained humor.

"It's a mockery of justice is what it is." The arrestee huffed, tossing her red hair when she shook her head. "Your officer brought me in here without pretense."

" _You_ solicited a uniformed officer and refused to comply when I asked you to turn down your music." Hiei argued.

"Solicited?" Mukuro raised her eyebrows.

"A gross misinterpretation of events." The woman complained. "I thought he was a stripper."

A pin could have dropped in the room and echoed for the all-encompassing silence that followed. Then, slowly, Mukuro's schooled expression cracked and she began to chuckle then fall into full on laughter. When she glimpsed Hiei's stern expression, the laughter grew worse. The woman in the chair frowned at the chief, her cheeks rosy with embarrassment.

"It was an honest mistake." She muttered in defense of herself. "I mean, the boy should be working vice the way he fills out his uniform."

"You didn't notice the badge?" Mukuro teased

"You know as well as I do that I'm a sucker for accuracy." The dry response did nothing to quell Mukuro's humor.

"Why, for the love of god, would you think I was a stripper?" Hiei demanded.

"It's my birthday and my friends are idiots." She shrugged.

"Happy birthday." Mukuro pressed her lips together to try and control her laughter. She received a scathing glare for her efforts. When she leaned over Hiei to study his paperwork her brow furrowed. "Mikamoto?"

"That's me." The woman answered readily.

Hiei looked between them as Mukuro pulled back, studying the redhead once more before clapping a hand down on his shoulder. "Let her go."

"What?!"

"Let her go." Mukuro repeated. "And you, lay off the booze. It makes you sloppy."

"Roger that." The woman, _Mikamoto_ , nodded. Hiei begrudgingly tossed his hand through the air to dismiss her. As she stood, she tossed him a smile. "Sorry for the trouble officer."

"Get out of here. And keep the volume down."

"Sir, yes sir." She tossed him a salute that looked a little too practiced and waved to Mukuro before trotting from the station.

When Mukuro made her way back to her office, Hiei followed her, fists at his sides. "What the fuck was that?"

"Watch your language and your tone." Mukuro warned him.

"Why did you let her go?"

"Because it was a stupid mistake. A hilarious, stupid mistake." She informed him, accepted his report as he tossed it onto her desk. Not that it meant anything now. Her eyes scanned over it and the humor of the situation threatened to overtake her again.

"No, it's because you knew her. Somehow."

The accusation obviously didn't sit well with his superior.

"Hiei." She leveled him with a look. "Let it go. When the time is right, I'll tell you everything you need to know. Until then, just trust me. _Mikamoto_ isn't someone you need to worry about."

"Fine." He grit his teeth together.

"So, was she?" Mukuro asked him, doing her best to keep a straight face.

"Was she what?" Hiei asked, wary.

"Was she a bad, bad girl?"

He left the room but didn't slam the door. A modest improvement in his attitude. Maybe sticking him on the graveyard shift had accomplished the goal it was meant to and forced him to accept he couldn't just react however he wanted to situations.

* * *

Hiei showed up to work the next night to find a card and coffee waiting on his desk. Frowning, he picked up the card and looked it over.

 _Sorry for mistaking you_

 _for a stripper._

He eyed the coffee, grabbed it and walked into the breakroom so he could dump it into the sink. He was not about to drink something a total stranger had left for him. Especially not a stranger who had been arrested by him the night before.

"Your girlfriend is pretty cute." Another uniformed officer teased as Hiei came back to his desk.

"Shut the hell up Suzuka." Hiei didn't even think about the words before they flew from his mouth. "I don't have a girlfriend."

"Oh, that's right, she's a _client_." The blond stated, deadpan. Hiei threw a pen at him with a glare. "Isn't that what you guys call the people who hire you?"

"Fuck you." Hiei snarled.

How? How the hell had these _morons_ found out about that? God, if Mukuro was wagging her jaw…

"Wait, you're datin'?" Chu peered around his monitor. "That pretty little redheaded piece?"

"No. I'm not." Hiei growled. "Don't you idiots have work to do?"

* * *

It only got worse from there. At least once a week Hiei found some reminder of that damned woman's mistake on his desk. A skimpy leather vest with a fake badge attached to it. Furry handcuffs. A few singles slipped into his belt when he wasn't paying attention. Those bastards had even gotten dispatch into it, and he'd received more than one call for _Officer Nasty_. Three months of this nonsense. And Mukuro seemed in no hurry to step in, finding pleasure in his pain as usual.

He was about one incident away from killing the lot of them with his bare hands.

"Maybe you shoulda been a fireman." Jin joked, pretending to slide down Chu suggestively. "You'd be a natural on the pole."

Hiei had to be pulled off him by Touya.

* * *

It was Hiei's shitty luck that the woman happened to be friends with Yusuke. The detective wore his plainclothes, as usual, and laughed so hard his beer threatened to spill from its glass as he lifted it to his lips. The woman laughed too, turning the smaller glass containing her alcohol between her fingers slowly.

"Don't you have other places to be?" Hiei griped at her, sliding into the booth beside Kurama who warned him to be polite.

"What's wrong? Tips slowing down?" Yusuke asked while gyrating lewdly in his seat.

Hiei kicked him in the shin with a glare. Then he turned back to the woman. "Seriously, why are you here?"

"Yeah, _Mikamoto_ , don't you have a job?" Yusuke teased her, throwing and arm around her shoulders and she elbowed him in the ribs as though the action were second nature.

Hiei couldn't figure out the joke that seemed to accompany the woman's name everywhere. Everyone he knew that knew her said it the same way. Mukuro. Yusuke. Koenma. Even Kuwabara down in the cyber unit had laughed when Hiei had asked him to look into the woman for him.

Not that he'd found anything.

"Move your ass Urameshi." _Mikamoto_ pushed him out of the booth and followed him, draining her whiskey and slapping him on the shoulder. "Thanks for treating me."

"I never said I was doing that." Yusuke griped and she merely patted his head and then walked away, hands in the pockets of her coat. "Jeez Hiei, way to be a dick."

"Why is she here?" Hiei demanded. "I never saw that woman once in my life and suddenly, she's everywhere. If one more person slides me a single or puts glitter on me, I'm going to snap. And it's all her fault."

"You could have just asked me to stop with the glitter. You didn't have to be a jerk to Hichi." Yusuke huffed. "Besides, I thought the sparkle in your hair matched your eyes."

"Hichi?" Hiei blinked at him. "A nickname?"

Yusuke's eyes widened and he drained his beer, then slid out of the booth to get another. Hiei frowned.

"I think she's charming." Kurama offered, sipping his water and not looking Hiei in the eye.

"Get fucked, Kurama."

* * *

This was a total shit show. Hiei braced his shoulder against the wall of the narrow hall, pinned down. He'd managed to get the bulk of residents out of the building before it all went to hell in a handbasket. He hadn't known that he was walking into a drug deal, much less a whole goddamn cartel operation. He'd only responded to a call about a suspicious figure lurking around the apartment complex.

Now he was stuck waiting for backup or for them to run out of bullets. And the latter didn't seem likely anytime soon. His gun was drawn but there no way he could take out fifteen men with a clip of nine bullets. Especially not when those men were armed to the teeth.

The spray stopped for a moment and he peeked around the corner of the hall into the main lobby, noting the door open behind the thugs where their operation was taking place. That's when he saw her. Red hair tied up in a high ponytail, blue eyes clear over the black of the bandana tied around her face. Those eyes widened when they glimpsed him and he saw her turn toward the ring leader.

A fucking drug dealer? That bitch was a fucking drug dealer?

He stepped out and fired a few shots, nailing two men in the chest and a third in the head before the chaos resumed. Back in the security of the hall, bullets whizzing by too close for comfort Hiei yelled. "I am a police officer with Mushiyori Precinct 3! Cease fire!"

A few odd shots rang out and he heard one groan, then another. Then a very loud, ringing, "Goddammit all."

The gunfire stopped again and he left his spot to enter the fray once more, gun raised. He found _Mikamoto_ subduing the ring leader and aiming her gun at a second man. Several men groaned around her, all gripping their legs. Hiei leveled his gun on the woman, eyes narrowed.

"Drop your weapon!" He demanded, the scream of sirens outside affording him confidence. "You're surrounded, Mikamoto!"

"No thanks to you." She turned to him, gun down. "You lower your weapon. I'm an undercover narcotics officer."

He fired the shot without thinking, his concern entirely on the fact she'd raised her gun with her words in his direction. The bullet took her in the arm, spinning her around and she swore profusely. It was about that time her declaration actually clicked in his brain.

 _I'm an undercover narcotics officer._

Oh. Shit.

Officers flooded the building, boots heavy on the stairs and their steps pounding against the floor. Hiei let them handle the ring leader and others as he ran over to the woman, using his hands to stopper the bleeding in her arm.

"You're a cop." Hiei told her. "You're a fucking cop?"

"Of course I am, you massive prick." She growled back at him wincing. "Thanks for ruining six months of work by being a hot headed asshole."

"I'm going to allow you that because you're injured." Hiei told her, calling into his radio that they needed an ambulance for an officer.

"Fuck you." She ground back. "God, I already said I was sorry about thinking you were a stripper, did you really have to shoot me for it?"

Hiei stared at her and realized after a heartbeat she was joking, her grin splitting her face. It lit her eyes. What sort of crazy ass woman had the gall to make jokes when she was bleeding out?

"Oh no, you got blood on your shirt." She teased him. "You should take it off. Like, really slowly. Maybe use it to make a tourniquet."

"I know you're being facetious, but that's a good idea." Hiei stripped off the top of his uniform to reveal the plain black muscle shirt underneath before wrapped it around her arm and using his belt to tie it off. "Why the fuck are you smiling?"

"Delirious from blood loss?" She offered and reached up with her other arm to squeeze his bicep. "Seriously, this is just obscene. Why are you so fucking attractive?"

He stared at her, and wasn't sure exactly why his face was turning red. "You're an idiot."

"You're a tasty snack." She responded, her eyes looking hazy and her tone sounding loopy. "And man, am I hungry woman."

Her head fell back as her eyes rolled up into her skull. Hiei slapped at her face lightly, then roughly, and earned no response.

* * *

Debriefing was a nightmare. Mukuro was yelling the whole time, butting heads with Koenma who was screaming his outrage.

"I want his badge!"

"He did what he had to do!"

Hiei eventually just left, sitting in the breakroom with his hands wrapped around a cup of tepid coffee until the detective sat beside him and slipped the cup out of his hands.

"Fuck dude, I know she can be a bitch sometimes, but you didn't have to shoot her." Yusuke laughed, smacking Hiei on the back. "She's _pissed_."

"They're going to fire me." Hiei complained, his head in his hands. "I can't believe I shot a fellow officer."

"I mean, Shinpi understood. She told Koenma to cut out his crusade. Said it was a rough situation and there was no right way to handle it." Yusuke grabbed Hiei's shoulder then, offering support. "You probably won't get fired but desk duty is looking pretty likely."

"Shinpi?" Hiei looked over at him, confused.

"Oh, shit, you still don't know. Takani Amon-Shinpi, that's her name man. She goes by Shinpi though. Says it's easier." Yusuke shrugged. "We were working this case for months. She was supposed to make her first major bust tonight. So much for that."

"Takani." Hiei scrunched his nose. "That's why I couldn't find her in the hospital."

"I may know where she's being kept. And her room number." Yusuke slipped a folded note to Hiei with a wink. "Y'know, in case you wanted to apologize."

Hiei accepted the tip with a nod.

* * *

Hiei pushed into the hospital room quietly, almost hoping the woman was asleep. She wasn't. He grimaced when she immediately turned her attention to him.

"Come to finish the job?" She teased him, raised her eyebrows. Then she lifted one hand. "I'm unarmed officer. Don't shoot."

"Shut the fuck up." Hiei growled at her, marching over and throwing a sparse bouquet onto her lap.

"Or what?" She leered at him, eying his plainclothes as she lifted the flowers to breath in their scent. "You going to handcuff me again and make me even more sorry?"

"I should've shot you twice."

"That's cruel, Hiei." She pouted and looked up at him through her lashes. "You ruined my bust, you shot me, and I'm going to be out of work for _weeks_. You single handedly ruined my career in one clumsy swoop."

He sneered, looking away from her. She was right. Even if she did offer the words with a stupid grin and flippant tone. He had taken her first big bust from her on accident. Finding some resolve, he turned back to her. He'd come here with that in mind already, so he had an idea.

Hiei just hoped she'd be willing to play along with it.

"What can I do?" Hiei asked her, his eyes continuously training to her wounded arm in its sling.

"You can solve the paradox of time travel, go back in time, hear me say the words 'I'm a cop' and choose not to pull the trigger." She stared at him through narrowed eyes, the humor draining some.

"I'm not great with physics. I was thinking dinner." Hiei admitted, making a face. "Options are sort of limited with you being here, but I'll buy you the best jello the cafeteria has to offer."

"You think you're getting out of this with jello?" She stared at them, then couldn't keep from smiling. "Call it a cheeseburger and fries or get out of my room."

"Alright." He nodded, hands in his pockets. "I can do that."

"And dessert." She eyed him. "Not jello."

"Not even if it has whipped cream on top?"

"No."

"I'm sure I'll find something." He assured her. "Don't go anywhere."

"Very fucking funny." She deadpanned as he smirked at her, and then when he chuckled she straight up glared.

* * *

"You know, I think this has to be the strangest first date I've been on." Shinpi dipped her fries in ketchup as she chewed her burger, not really caring about presenting her best self while sequestered in a hospital gown with only one good arm.

"Is that what this is?" Hiei asked her perched on the foot of the bed, one foot up on the mattress and the other dangling.

"Of course." She nodded without looking at him.

"First implies there will be more." He pointed out, watching her.

"Indeed, it does." Shinpi agreed, looking over at him. "You didn't really think one cheeseburger was going to make up for you shooting me, did you?"

"How long are you going to milk this?" Hiei asked, smirking at her.

"Until the sling comes off." She winked at him. "Acceptable?"

"Sure." He nodded. "You know, it's funny. This all started with you thinking I was the world's most detail oriented stripper."

"Why is that funny?"

"Because when I show up on your doorstep in uniform again, it'll be because I'm actually there to offer the most authentic striptease you've ever had." He watched her face color and then she coughed, trying not to look at him. "Handcuffs are still free of charge."

Her heart rate spiked so hard the nurses came rushing in to check on them.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Based on a prompt from Pinterest that was basically one person waiting to meet with the vice principal for good school reasons and the second being there for stabbing someone with a screwdriver and them agreeing they live very different lives. Had to write Shinpi and Hiei in that scenario. I had like, 3k words written up of the opposite set up of this, but that got boring.**

 **My car broke down and I'm having a time of it, so I wrote this to make myself feel better. Love you guys! March is coming up fast!**

* * *

Hiei watched her sit, her shoulders pulled back and her head high as he slouched in his seat. Red hair tied in a ponytail that sat high on the back of her head, blue eyes that declared with no hesitation that she _did not deserve to be here_ , lips pressed into a line. He recognized her, of course. It was hard not to. Not a whole lot of fiery red haired women running around campus and the only other one was her twin.

Well, and Kurama if you asked Yusuke.

But no one asked Yusuke, as a general rule.

"You're Takani, right?" Hiei cast a glance down her. "What are you here for? Need the sign off on a club expense or something?"

"No." She glanced at him, then over him, then shift her attention away. "You're here to get sign off for the audio setup for the dance, right?"

Hiei sat up straighter. "How did you know that?"

"My sister is on the planning committee."

That made since. He knew that. Kuya headed the committee, actually, organizing the spring dance. He'd only gotten roped into it because Kurama wanted a buffer between himself and Kaito, otherwise they'd never get anything done. The whole event was meant to raise money for the both the botany club and the literature club.

It was a war.

Kuya, who participated in both clubs, had agreed to head off the venture. Hiei, who participated in neither, had been drug by his shirt into this. An unwilling combatant.

"Your sister doesn't make you help her?" Hiei asked.

"She can manage on her own. I've never cared much for dances anyway."

Did that mean Kuya had asked and Shinpi had turned her down, or that Kuya _hadn't_ asked and Shinpi didn't want to talk about it? Hiei shrugged to himself. Not really his problem.

"You quit track."

Hiei tensed, turning to assess her with some suspicion.

"Yeah, and?" He demanded. "I prefer to run at my own pace."

"Too bad." She cast him a look. "I planned on joining this year."

Planned? "Couldn't make the cut?"

"I beat you record by two tenths of a second." She raised an eyebrow and watched his face color. "I didn't find it to be a worthwhile investment of my time."

She beat his record and didn't think it was _worthwhile_? What a bitch. He narrowed his eyes.

"I'm not much of a team player either." She opened her hands in a gesture to indicate that's what it was, a small smile gracing her expression. "I'm alright in partnerships though."

"Why bother trying out if you don't like teams?"

"Why did you?"

"I like to run."

She chuckled, turning her face away. "Anyway, it would have been hard to manage track with my other obligations. I am the leader of the aikido club, and the graphic novel club."

"Comics?" Hiei made a face. "I didn't even realize there was a club for that. What the hell do you do in it?"

"The same things you'd do in literature club but with the added piece of analyzing visuals, art style and all the things that come along with that." Shinpi's expression turned sly then, and he saw a twinkle enter her eye. "We actually have a pretty good group. You should join us sometime."

"Huh. So, why aren't you trying to get in on the dance then? Don't you need to cover the expense of your _graphic novels_?" Hiei tilted his head.

"Oh, I'm not allowed to be in the same room with Kaito." That sly expression turned downright cunning. "He's not exactly a fan of me or my interests. He finds them low brow."

"And you seem heartbroken about that."

"Truly. I mean, it's not as though I created this club from nothing just to spite him for making fun of someone for reading a manga in our first year." Shinpi waved a hand through the air. "That would take some serious dedication, to go from never reading such things to becoming an expert in their analysis and societal implications. Honestly, who would even do that? Get a _literature scholarship_ based on her spite driven essays and analytical work on such a _lowly_ form of reading material."

Hiei raised his eyebrows, then smirked.

"It's too bad you don't care about dances. I bet the meetings would be interesting with you around." Hiei mused.

"You might not want to sit so close to her, Jaganshi." The principal came out of the office and glanced between them. "Considering she's here for stabbing someone with a screwdriver. _Again_."

"I had a spasm." The response was automatically delivered with a shrug and falsely apologetic smile. "I can't help it that the idiot who tried to grope me happened to be caught up in fallout. Perhaps if he hadn't been so uncomfortably close to me, he wouldn't have been injured."

"You can't stab people for sitting next to you."

"I would never! It was a spasm, like I said." She flashed a smile. "Besides, I suppose I should thank him. If his hand hadn't been on my thigh I might've stabbed _myself._ "

Hiei glanced from the principal to the girl, then back, then to the girl once more as if seeing her for the first time. "You _stabbed_ someone?"

"It was a _spasm_." She repeated, impressing the word on both of them.

"Convenient that you only have spasms when you're armed and near someone you dislike." The principal folded his arms over his chest.

"Perhaps it is the gods working through me to put a stop to the shenanigans of unruly teenage boys who can't understand basic rules of consent." Shinpi shrugged.

"You're claiming your spasms are divine retribution." The principal deadpanned.

"I'm saying it's a possibility." She allowed. "Anyway, surely the bleeding has stopped by now. Can I go back to class?"

"Next time ask the gods to refer you to a teacher to handle the situation before you take it into your own spasming hands, Takani." The principal dismissed her with a long suffering sigh.

She nodded and rose to her feet, dipping her head in acknowledgement. "Yes sir."

Hiei reached over in a flash and grabbed her wrist to stop her from leaving when she turned. Curious, she tipped her head to look him over.

"What day does your graphic novel meet?" He asked, clearly amused. "I think I might look into it."

She pulled a folded piece of paper from her pocket and extended it to him with another cunning grin.

"My number and email. I'll give you all the details over coffee. After school at that café on the corner." Then she was gone and the principal frowned after her.

"Be careful with women like her, Jaganshi. They are nothing but trouble."

"I can handle myself." Hiei assured him, forgetting for a moment why he was there to begin with as he stood to leave. Then he started and sagged his shoulders when the principal cleared his throat. That's right, he was here for a meeting. Hiei pivoted on his heel and followed the man into his office.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Inspired by an ask/gifset from yyhfanfiction on tumblr. Also, just so everyone knows I was listening to Pull My Hair by Bright Eyes while writing this little one shot.**

* * *

 **Kitten**

 _Yeah, sorry for not texting. I got home a few hours ago and fell asleep._

 _Poor baby. I'm glad you made it back safely. I missed you._

 _I missed you too._

You smiled to yourself as you walked through the lobby of the apartment, sliding the phone into your pocket. The click-click-click of your heels drew the attention of the desk attendant, but with a coy smile you just waved at him as you pushed the button for the elevator. At this point they knew you were a welcomed guest. Hell, they'd known who you were before you ever set foot in the building the first time. Kazuma had apparently gushed about you after your first date and had continued to do so onward.

You selected the floor you needed and smiled to yourself as the doors closed and you caught sight of yourself in the reflective veneer of the metal. The heels really brought out the definition in your calves. The mid-thigh trench coat accentuated the line of your bare legs. Normally you might've considered the stairs, but no one wanted to trek up four flights in heels.

This was one of the most daring things you'd ever done. A slight anxiety swirled in your stomach as you wondered if your boyfriend would be receptive. Kazuma had just gotten home. Maybe he wanted to be alone.

But it had been weeks since you'd seen him.

And you really had missed him. So. Very. Badly.

The doors opened and you stepped into the hall, exhaling for strength and marched yourself up to his front door. Fishing out the final touch of this outfit from your jacket pocket you donned the kitty-ear headband and a sultry smile before knocking. You debated leaning against the frame like in the movies. Was that too unnatural?

Kazuma didn't answer immediately, and you chewed your bottom lip. Maybe he'd gone back to sleep…

Just as you considered going back the way you came the door opened and startled you. You greeted Kazuma with wide eyes and parted lips. For a moment you just stared at each other and you noticed his gaze immediately glanced upwards to the top of your head.

Well. You didn't rehearse this for nothing.

"Hey stranger, got a minute? I know a kitty that needs some love." You flashed him _that_ smile. The one that you couldn't keep off your face when he made your knees weak. The one that meant you were about ten second away from begging him to rip your clothes off.

As you watched Kazuma's face turned about ten different shades of red some of which you were sure even art students hadn't seen before. His pupils swelled and he licked his lips, reaching forward to wrap his fingers around your hand so he could tug you into the apartment's foyer.

"Kurama's here." His whisper was rough, wanton.

"Guess that means you need to take me to your room and unwrap your welcome home present." You teased.

He drug you behind him without any more prompting. You didn't miss the way he cast a glance toward your heels as they clacked against the tile of the living room. Or the already obvious bulge in his pants. All of your doubt dissolved then, because this was probably the best decision you'd ever made. That was only proven more correct when Kazuma pushed you against the just closed door of his bedroom, his mouth on yours with a bruising need you almost never got to illicit from him.

Kazuma was always so careful, so gentle.

It was nice to know you could draw this rougher side out of him.

His hands roved your body, moving from grasping your hips to dragging up your uncovered thighs. He ground his hips against yours, the added height of your heels evening out the difference in your sizes somewhat. Winding your arms around his neck, you kept your mouths joined.

"I was going to come see you tomorrow Y/N." He panted, moving his mouth down your jaw and to your neck as his hands desperately pulled at the belt and buttons holding your coat closed.

"I couldn't wait." You purred and that only seemed to deepen his frenzy as he crushed his mouth against yours again.

He pulled the jacket off your arms, allowing it to drop to the floor and made a noise low in his throat that you were sure meant only great things for you. All the effort you'd put into this was really paying off. Grey eyes took their time devouring you from your patent leather kitten heels up your naked legs to the black lace panties you'd bought just for this occasion and the matching bra, unlined and doing nothing to hide your already hard nipples. Then his eyes trailed up to meet your gaze before taking in the kitty ears you'd bought on impulse.

Your nerves returned when he didn't say anything. Chewing your lip, you dipped your chin down to look at him through your lashes nervously.

"Kazuma? Is it too much? You don't like it?"

That shook him from whatever reverie he'd been in, and immediately he lifted his hands. "No! I love it! You're just so pretty! I can't believe you showed up here to surprise me."

"Then show me how much you like it." You demanded, quietly, reaching out and grabbing him by his belt loops until his hips were against yours again. Tipping your head up you kissed the underside of his jaw. "I didn't get dressed up just to be stared at, Kazuma. I've been so lonely without you."

He moaned again and kissed you deeply, roughly before peeling his tee over his head. Unbuttoning his pants but leaving them on, he went back to pressing his mouth to yours. The raw hunger made you whimper, desperate for him to be closer. Large hands smoothed over your hips, stomach, massaged your breasts, found themselves tangled in your hair. And the poor man's pompadour didn't stand a chance as you raked your fingers through his copper strands. With little effort he dipped his hands down and lifted you so your legs were wrapped around his waist as he pressed you into the door.

It still caught you off guards sometimes when he acted like you weighed nothing. You knew Kazuma was strong. You'd seen him in action a few times. But still.

His mouth found that sweet spot on the side of your throat and you couldn't keep yourself from moaning, writhing in his hold. He pinched one of your nipples lightly and made a sound of unbridled want when you cried out his name, your fingers digging into his shoulders to avoid slipping.

The next thing you knew your bra and panties were tossed aside and you were arching your back into his comforter, trying to keep your moans from bothering your boyfriend's roommate. Kazuma's face between your legs made it nearly impossible to keep control yourself though. Every movement of his tongue, every smack of his lips drove you into a frenzy of desperation. Your fingers curled in the blanket. His name fell off your lips in an endless, repeating cry as you moved your hips to get the most of his ministrations. A heat coiled through your body, shaking you as your orgasm hit you. It didn't stop him.

If anything it only encouraged him to continue what he was doing to you.

Shouldn't this be a form of torture?

Kazuma had a hard and fast rule: You had to come at least once before he would actually fuck you. A testament to his chivalrous personality. Normally you found it endlessly endearing and it only made you love him more.

Right now?

You wished he'd throw his damn code out the window and just _get inside you already_.

You didn't realize you'd spoken the thought until he peered at you over the length of your body, pupils so large you couldn't even tell what color his eyes were supposed to be. His tongue slid over his lips and he crawled onto the bed to hover over you on all fours.

"You drive me crazy Y/N." He smothered you with another kiss, hot and wet and it made you whine in your throat. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kazuma." You grazed your fingertips over his cheekbones. "Now please, please, I'm begging you, fuck me senseless."

He laughed, a throaty rumble that melted you to your core. "Whatever you want, Y/N."

And he delivered. Those large hands kept your hips steady as he pounded into you with abandon. It was rarely like this with you two. Your large warrior of love was often the cautious one in your relationship. Not tonight. You moaned your absolute adoration for this change, begging for more, praising your boyfriend for the things he was doing to your body. When he adjusted you so that one of your legs was thrown over his arm your eyes rolled into your head. At some point coherent language ceased to be a function of your brain. Yet he still responded to you as if you were talking to him. Still moaning his own pleasure and ' _Oh yeah, Y/N, you like that?'_ on repeat.

It was after your third orgasm-or was it fourth?-that Kazuma's thrusts grew erratic. When he pulled out, you whined at the loss of the heat and the friction, your eyes hazy. With a heaving breath he came on your chest. Giggling lazily, you took him in with his flushed cheeks and hair plastered to his forehead with sweat.

"You're really sexy." You told him content for the moment.

"Me?" He chuckled and shook his head, laying down beside you to cuddle against your side. "Have you ever seen yourself?"

"I think you may be a touch biased there." You teased him with a peck to his lips.

"Yeah. I'm the biased one." He nuzzled against the side of your head, then you felt him toy with the ears. "I'm surprised these stayed on."

"I think I'll keep them." You closed your eyes, knowing full well you needed a shower but not caring to move. Maybe you could convince him to carry you if you asked him nice enough.

Kazuma muttered something about liking that idea and kissed you before going back to cuddling, idly drawing his hands over your skin, down your arms, caressing your face. Yeah, the shower could definitely wait a few more minutes. You didn't want to stop this.

Plus, you hadn't thought to bring a change of clothes and had no idea where your underwear had ended up.


	15. Chapter 15

I'm answering asks on Tumblr (WistfulSin) from the Flustered Prompt List fanficspromptsandfun posted. Starsxwonder asked me to do number seven so here it is. Enjoy this crackfic drabble. PS I'm not dead. I'm still working on chapter 39. It's been kicking my ass.

 **7\. "Wow I can't believe I said that out loud, please excuse me while I go die of embarrassment."**

* * *

It was a guilty pleasure, an easy enough one to hide normally. With his nose often shoved into a book or the problem of his friends while trying to help them worth through things, Kurama came across as the high-brow, educated gentleman. The type of man to laugh at a literary pun.

No one, not even his closest friends, suspected him of finding memes hilarious.

He even crafted a few. All anonymous, of course. Nothing that could be traced back to him. And he was careful to keep his activity online to spaces where no one would think to look for him.

There wasn't a whole lot of reason for him to keep this a secret other than being mildly embarrassed by himself. Kurama, age old thief, former accomplice of the Spirit Detective, winner of The Dark Tournament, advisor to Demon King Yomi: a memelord. Kaito would be rolling in his grave and the psychic wasn't even dead.

And yet, despite his mild shame, he took great pleasure in photoshopping the last panel of his most recent creation, his favorite game character defending the honor of women everywhere by yelling "ALL WOMEN ARE QUEENS". He uploaded it and chuckled to himself. His account, FoxierThanYou, always got plenty of praise. He was still himself, after all, there was no point in being _bad_ at something, even if it was just creating memes.

Yawning, he stretched his arms over his head and got up from his seat. But not before he logged out from the account and cleared his browsing history. He shut down his computer and made his way out to meet up with Yusuke and the others. He'd been up all night, and most of the night before. Studying mostly.

But also…memes.

That's all he could think to blame for what happened, really. His exhaustion had left him loose. His brain was on autopilot. A pale excuse, but the only one he could offer.

"Where is this café?" Yusuke griped, glaring at Kuwabara who was leading them to some cat café he had recently fallen in love with.

"You do not know da way." Kurama replied smoothly, adopting a thick Ugandan accent with the words. His eyes flashed open.

Kuwabara and Yusuke stopped midstep, turning to face him slowly. The blood drained from his face. They stared. Then Yusuke, in typical fashion, slowly began to grin, his eyebrows pulling down in the most devious way. Kuwabara mimicked his expression. In unison they spoke.

"Do you know da way?" They asked him together, their accents matching his. Their expressions tormented him, bringing heat to his cheeks.

"I can't believe I said that out loud, please excuse me while I go die of embarrassment." Kurama balked and spun on heel to get away from them.

Yusuke erupted into devilish laughter and ran behind him, grabbing him by the arm. "Oh no you don't fox boy. You're going to answer for this one."

"Yeah." Kuwabara flanked his other side and looped his arm through the shorter redhead's, helping Yusuke drag him onward. "Although you know, with your hair a mess and you blushing so hard, you kinda do look like Knuckles."

Honestly, dying of embarrassment would have been easier.


	16. Chapter 16

I'm answering asks on Tumblr (WistfulSin) from the Flustered Prompt List fanficspromptsandfun posted. fandom-trash-run-up-on-a-hoe asked me to do number five with Hiei and Mukuro so here it is. Enjoy this mildly NSFW drabble. PS I'm not dead. I'm still working on chapter 39. It's been kicking my ass.

 **5\. "I can't focus with your damn hand in my, ah–ooh…"**

* * *

"What do you see?"

Hiei schooled his response to the presence behind him, close but not quite touching. He kept his eyes on the horizon, crouched as he was, watching for this supposed assault that was coming their way. Trying not to show any recognition of Mukuro looming over him, he glared forward.

"Nothing." He answered finally and that the warmth of her body crept a hair closer until her breathe brushed his ear, her artificial hand resting on the ground to steady herself. He glanced at the metallic fingers then away.

"Perhaps you should use the Jagan." She suggested and the heat of her words warmed the cup of his ear.

Hiei swallowed, and deepened his glare on the empty distance.

"Fine."

He reached up and untied the bandana shielding his third eye from view and focused his attention on the horizon once more. His cold, crimson gaze joined by the lavender glow of the implanted evil eye. Just as he began his search Mukuro chuckled and it sent a shiver down his spine that had little to do with fear. Her left hand smoothed around his side to rest on his abdomen. Other than his breath hitching, he ignored the intrusion to his personal space.

When he said nothing, she chuckled again. "So focused, Hiei."

He shifted to glance over his shoulder at her for a second.

"It makes me want to see if I can distract you." She smiled at him warmly.

"Hn."

He went back to his task but it wasn't long before his eyes fluttered closed, the red tie around his waist undone, experienced fingers teasing his lower stomach. Swallowing, he opened his eyes once more and tried to return his full attention to his search.

Not that he got far.

Those fingers moved inside the black material of his pants and he hissed out a breath, determined not to give in to this game. Mukuro was doing her best to distract him, her mouth pressing to the back of his shoulder and side of his neck, her hand warming him in dangerous ways. He didn't even realize he had closed his eyes again, lips parted until she taunted him.

"And here I thought you focus was unbreakable."

"Shut up." Hiei panted, offering only the most futile of attempts to scour the horizon again.

"What's the matter, Hiei?" Mukuro grinned.

He swallowed and finally gave in. "I can't focus with your hand in my…" She squeezed around him, "Ah…ooh."

"So, you're saying I win."

"I'm saying this isn't a game anymore." He leaned back into her with a smirk. "I should have known this was a ruse from the minute you brought it up."

"You really should have."

"Maybe I did." He fell into the feeling of her touching him, no longer concerned with appearances or finding an enemy that didn't exist.


	17. Chapter 17

**8\. "Do you not like when I look at you like that?" from fanficspromptsandfun's flustered prompt list featuring Hiei and Botan at the request of tumblr user Dezzydoesthings!**

 **Oh Dezzy, how did I know Hiei and Botan were coming my way from you? It's like it's your favorite or something. I've never written them together before so I hope it meets your needs! You're like the grand poobah of HxB, I think. A true connoisseur.**

 **I had to switch up the quote just a smidge for grammar.**

* * *

It used to only happen now and then, and only when he thought she wasn't paying attention. Botan would catch a shock of black from the corner of her eye and turn to see Hiei giving her the most peculiar expression. As soon as she'd see it though, it would disappear and he'd throw a barb her way or demand to know what she was looking at.

But lately, it was happening more often.

And Hiei had stopped pretending it wasn't.

Botan never called him on it, because she wasn't sure exactly what it was. The look wasn't really menacing but it still made her skin break out in gooseflesh. She had stared back a few times but ultimately given up on trying to understand. Now she was the one who turned away when she caught that look in his eye.

Well, normally.

Today Hiei seemed to be having none of it.

After all their years of working together and knowing each other, Botan still didn't really understand the fire demon all that well but she knew when he was serious. And he was indeed serious today.

Yusuke had pulled a stupid prank on her and ended up soaking her outfit with some water balloons. Now she was in one of Yukina's dresses waiting for her clothes to dry. The garment didn't fit her very well, too tight and too short, but it would do for the half-hour it took to get her outfit back.

Or so she'd thought.

Hiei had come into the hall, walked passed her, then turned and stared. And stared. And stared. To the point Botan felt herself blush. She still didn't know what that look meant but she wasn't in the mood for it.

"You're staring." She told him haughtily.

"So?" Hiei raised an eyebrow.

"You always stare at me like that." Botan crossed her arms over her chest.

"And?" Hiei continued to look her over. "Do you not like when I look at you like this?"

"I might like it if I knew what it meant!" Botan threw her arms to her side, fists balled. "But I don't! And you keep doing it."

"You're an idiot, you know that?" Hiei scoffed lightly and stalked closer to her. "And people say I'm obtuse."

Botan watched him approach her warily.

"It means," Hiei tipped his head up, placing his hands on the wall on either side of her to completely box her in, "that I like what I see."

He smirked when a blush cascaded up her face, tinging her ears, cheeks, neck pink.

"And when I like something," he pressed closer to her, lowering his voice to a throaty rumble that made her knees weak, "I get the urge to take it for myself."


	18. Chapter 18

**10\. "Heh, you're awfully close–a-are we going to kiss now?" from fanficspromptsandfun's flustered prompt list featuring Juri and Jin at the request of fandom-trash-runs-up-on-a-hoe.**

 **I've never really written Juri before and I haven't written Jin in literal years. Damn person, you are here to make me work haha. I love it.**

 **W** **ait. Is Jin's name a play on djinn? Holy hell. No wonder he's impish and floating all the time. And all he wants is freedom…fuck me.**

* * *

"I've never been to one of these celebrations before!" Jin beamed, his ears wiggling at a velocity that would surely lift him off the ground. "So this New Years is it? Humans are funny things aren't they?"

Touya stared at him, sighed, and then walked over to stand near Genkai who didn't talk nearly as much.

Jin rolled his eyes, sunny attitude not even slightly dampened.

"Ha! Just wait 'til midnight buddy. That's when the real magic happens." Yusuke clapped a hand on Jin's shoulder, pulling him into a side hug. With a devious grin he whispered. "We all countdown to midnight and then you gotta kiss someone. I'm laying one on Keiko so hard it'll make you blush."

Jin laughed uproariously at that. "Aye, ya've got a nice lass there Urameshi. Wanna find me a girl like that."

They separated as Botan's palm smacked against Chu's cheek so hard he listed into the wall, the sound echoing through the living room of the temple. Yusuke rushed over to intervene and do damage control, his rosy nose and cheeks highlighting his adoration for the beer several of the older party attendants were drinking.

The night wore on and Jin wandered around, brightly chatting to anyone who listen. He bonded with Yukina over the frivolity of humans and their penchant for celebrating any and everything they could. A vigor for life, she called it. But the weirded thing sent him skittering back from the ice maiden when he'd thrown his arm around her should playfully, the direst sense of danger washing over him that he'd ever felt. He could've sworn he'd been scalded.

"Oy, you're that pretty little lass from the tournament yeah?" Jin stared at Juri as the recognition hit him after a few minutes of them talking. "Ya were the one who got turned into an itty bitty thing by Suzuki's pal."

A tinge of pink doused her face. "Yeah, that was me. That can't be all that people remember from me! You know, I'm a signer now!"

Her adamant response earned a head tilt from him, and then a brilliant. "That so then? Let ole Jin hear it!"

"Wh-what?" She stepped back, her face hot red.

"Aye, that's a cute expression you got there. Didn't mean to embarrass ya." He continued to smile and her blush continued to deepen. "Can't say I'm sorry for it though. Hard to be when ya looking so sweet."

Juri felt like she might actually melt into a puddle at this rate.

It was then that Yusuke boisterously started counting, the large television showcasing the countdown he'd mentioned before. The others all joined in. Slyly, Jin glanced at his conversation party who was practically glowing. He sidled closer to her.

"Heh, you're awfully close–a-are we going to kiss now?" Juri stared into his shining blue eyes, quivering so hard the contents of her cups sloshed.

"We gotta. It's the way things are done." Jin glanced at the screen again, watched the number dwindle to one and then yanked her to him by her waist. The kiss was longer than it needed to be and he didn't miss the way Juri pressed against him, her fingers grasping his shoulders. He pulled back with a soft, warm expression. "Those pretty lips are as soft as I hoped."

"Happy New Year." Juri blinked at him, then swallowed as his hands flexed on her waist. "Did you still want to hear me sing?"

Jin nodded and allowed her to hurry him from the main room into an empty one down the hall where it was quieter. She dropped his hand when they walked in and licked her lips. It didn't help her calm down because they tasted like the man watching her with glittering azure eyes. Jin lounged against the door, one foot against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. Juri swallowed again.

"So, uh, what's your favorite song?" She asked with a shaky voice.

"Can't say I have one." Jin shrugged, clearly amused with her. "Don't force it love, just wanted a taste of your voice is all."

"Oh, um."

"Can't expect you to sing on the spot. There are other ways to sample your voice anyway, there is." Jin pushed off the door with an impish grin and slid his eyes down her.

"There are?" She raked her eyes down him in return and then keened slightly when he kissed her again.

"Aye, there are." He mumbled, moving down to kiss her neck before raising his lips to her ear. "Dontchu you worry, I'll get you to sing soon enough."

Fireworks went off outside accompanied by the loud yelling of the others and Juri was vaguely aware the idiots gallivanting in the yard weren't the only ones starting the year off with a bang.


	19. Chapter 19

**My submission for YYHFanfiction's Rare Fic contest. Category: Human World-centric mythology as it interacts/originates from Demon World. This doubles as background for my OC Shinpi. It was incredibly fun to find ways to melt old world myths into the theories of the three worlds. I hope you guys like it. Also, check out the contest if you'd like to participate! Lots of great prizes and you can submit until May 1, 2018.**

* * *

 **The Creation of Aishling**

It is important to remember that once, the worlds were not entirely separate as they are now. They used to exist together, mingled, and yet apart. Crossing from one plane to the next was not so much punching a hole through a wall, but merely parting a thin veil. Humans knew this, as did The Others. Precautions were taken, but the knowledge was common.

There were some places where the planes overlapped more fully than others. Where they still do.

Places where you do not give your name to a stranger in a field where there was a ring of mushrooms growing. Areas where you nailed iron to your door and set out saucers of honeyed milk to keep The Others happy but away from you.

Now these things are superstitions, myths passed down and offered as stories to tantalize the minds of children.

But, in days long passed, these were vital facts of living.

It is hard to say which came first. Did the legend of Flagarach, the sword which could bestow the power of wind on its user, arise because it was true or because its user already had the wind under their command? Were they so changed by this weapon that its power burrowed into their blood and bones, making a home in the generations of their family? Or was the sword a conduit for the powers already possessed by our ancestors? Perhaps it both, or neither. Legends are legends for a reason after all. Yet in every recited story there is a grain of truth.

We may never know ours.

What we do know is that Flagarach was not forged on the human plane, but beyond the veil, in a world accessed through a miasma of fog. One might not have even realized they were there at first, it looked so similar to their home. Creeping mists crawling over and through thick blades of grass. Trees older than most beings stretching into the gray sky, swaying in ceaseless winds. The damp air of emerald fields stretching between hills. The doppelganger of Human World, it would initially appear to be.

But the small differences would become more noticeable upon closer inspection and it would be with quickened pulse that a stray human came to understand their predicament.

There are many rules for humans lost in the world of The Others.

Do not eat any food offered to you.

Do not drink any drink.

Do not give away your name.

Make no deals, ask for no favors. You are not amongst friends, no matter the smiles you are offered.

Leave. As quickly as you can. If you stay, if you misstep, if you eat or drink, you cannot return to the other side of the veil. Or perhaps more accurately….

You will no longer be you when you do.

We had many names then. The Others. Neighbors. Fae. The Fair Folk. The Seelie and Unseelie. But it did not change what we were.

Demons.

The line between our world and the humans often blurred even to our eyes. Their stories and myths grew to reflect this. Some of us took to making the human plane our home. We looked like them, spoke like them, lived like them. And yet, we were just different enough to birth a sense of trepidation.

The little things, as always, gave us away.

Almond shaped nails that grew a little too quickly after being cut. Flourishing gardens in seasons where such wasn't meant to exist. Staring at those of our kind that could not be readily seen by unaware humans. Teeth too sharp or eyes too strange. Our humanoid visages were not infallible, if gazed at from the corner of the eye our images would distort and reveal our true face.

Humans have one skill that seems to daunt everything else: survival.

They spread these details to their friends, to other villages, other lands. "Look out for these signs" they'd say to their neighbors "That is how you spot them".

Yes, humans pride themselves on surviving.

But demons have done it far longer. Some of us perfected the art of mimicry, and a human could not tell us apart from their kind except for the chill up their spine when we got too close.

Of course, as long as we were not violent it didn't matter much. Those of us who respected humankind were treated with cautious respect. Our skills at healing, our secrets for bountiful crops and healthy children, our techniques for prediction and divining were invaluable. Those of us with such skills, we were given names that spoke of magic. Because we could use our energy freely, it was thought we were communing with gods and nature itself.

Humans are strange, fanciful creatures. Their curiosity clashes with their survivalism to no end.

There is no doubt our presence influenced them.

They still tell stories of trees that follow travelers under the light of the moon, whispering through their leaves as they walk on their roots. You plant a few seeds to remind you of home and suddenly the forest is haunted.

Of course, not all of us were welcomed by humans. Not all of us wanted to be. There are reasons the humans feared our kind, reasons they devised ways to keep us at bay with their runes and sigils and enchanted pendants infused with their life energy. And it would only take one loathsome demon to ruin a village for all of us.

A beautiful horse standing in a moor, black as night and glistening like stars. Humans crave beauty, they long to control that which does not belong to them. It is no surprise then that they would try to mount a foreign animal to attempt to break it and take it home. But these horses were traps. Once on one, it would drag the naive into the depths of a lake and drown a them before feasting. Kelpies, they were called by the humans. And once a villager was taken? Pandemonium. The rest would gather and hunt for the culprit.

The only time humans can stick together is when there is a common enemy threatening them.

Oh and the children. Some demons feared for their children's lives. Some merely wished to give their offspring more than they had. They would snatch human children from their cradles and replace them with their own.

My husband and I, we were lucky. Our village trusted us. They came to me for healing and they sought my husband for his hunting prowess and his sagely advice. He is a warm man, full of energy and fire. It is hard to deny his charms. That's why I married him.

His grandfather's sword, the one now called Flagarach in legend, hummed with energy. Humans were compelled to it and by it. With that sword he commanded truth, coaxed it from the lips of vagabonds and deviants. It could cut down any enemy.

And yet, it was his preference not to raise it in combat.

That is what I adore about him, my Hichirou. His family was not from our area of Demon World, but they were wolves who migrated around the worlds at their leisure. When I met him behind the veil, he was a powerful beast on all fours, with shining cobalt eyes and fur so black he seemed to be a shadow. He changed into a man as I watched, triangular ears atop his head and a thick tail behind him. Over the years, once we encountered more and more humans, he adopted their image as his own.

But, he was still a wolf in his heart.

Even I could not stop him from changing into a beast sometimes, to run through the dense forests on his paws by the moonlight only to return in the morning after he was satisfied.

Only once did I manage to convince him to stay, and to my chagrin a villager witnessed it. The moon was swollen and full overhead, like my growing belly with our first son, and Hichirou was determined to hunt. I did not want to be left alone. He changed anyway.

I shouted his name from the back of our home, and he stopped. He must have heard my frustration and fear. He changed back near immediately.

The villager yelled. He called my Hichirou a werewolf, a changeling creature both man and animal. Not entirely inaccurate.

But that moment cost us our home. The villagers gathered and our years of peace ended. We were forced to flee back through the veil, but out time amongst the humans had changed us to the ways of our home world. Demons sneered and rejected us. My husband's pack disapproved of him marrying a woman who was not a wolf. Once again we were forced to leave.

We wandered through a desert, alone together. But with Hichirou at my side there was nothing I could not weather, no matter how heavy my heart felt with the loss of a home I loved. I wanted my child to grow surrounded by curiosity and life. I wanted him to come to love the earth, the trees, the sky, the air as I did. I craved that environment.

After all, my power lied in earth and plants. It was a part of me. My veins are but tendrils of vine growing from the fertile soil of my core.

We were attacked in a wretched desert. Hichirou fought to defend us with his sword and his elements, and I chose then to give up on waiting. I would not watch my husband die. I would not force my child to wander the unforgiving desert, afraid for his life. I cut my thumbs open on my teeth and buried my hands into the scalding sand. I let the vines of my blood reach out, dig down, do what roots do and find earth to burrow through.

And earth they found.

An entire oasis answered my call, parting the sand and rising like a dream. And at the center of that oasis I buried a seed I had brought with me from our human world home. I watered it with my blood, bathed it in my energy and I called it Aishling. It was my gift to my child, this tree that would connect our world to the next. A guardian of life. A symbol of our family. A taste of home.

Aina

Hiei slowly set the worn journal down against the leg he had bent while keeping his other foot on the floor. The leather of the chair whined as he adjusted his posture, laying his head back to study the ceiling. Then he closed the journal and set it on the arm of the chair gently before making his way up the stairs to the bedroom Shinpi slept in. She didn't react to his entrance or the click of the door closing behind him.

Stripping off his shirt he slid into the bed beside her, laying on his back. Shinpi rolled over and nuzzled against his shoulder, and arm laying over his chest. Hiei looped his arm under her to keep her close to his side.

"Learn anything?" She muttered against his skin, eyes still closed.

Hiei exhaled, staring up at the ceiling again.

"I learned that your stubborn attitude definitely comes from your grandmother." He mused and she chuckled quietly. "But so does your hunger for peace."

"Got me all figured out now." Shinpi teased and Hiei smirked at that.

"Even I'm not arrogant enough to believe that." He closed and slowly fell into a relaxing sleep.


	20. Chapter 20

**Shit I cut through drafts and redrafts of Survivor's Guilt. Writing is a process. Sometimes I write the same part of a chapter a few times before I'm happy, sometimes I love what I write the first time. Sometimes I rush through things and sometimes I don't.**

 **I cut this from chapter five I think it was. This was the original draft of Yusuke confronting Iruni in Spirit World.**

"You seem awful confident about that." Yusuke frowned at her.

Kuwabara finally broke in the corner, sweat pouring down his face as he sagged, his spirit sword sputtering from existence. Slumping against the wall, he panted. Blue eyes moved over to him, idle curiosity painted over Shinpi's face.

"You're hopeless." She sighed, rolling her eyes toward him. "That clearly wasn't an hour."

"Give me a break! Who can hold their energy out for an _hour_." He complained, trying to catch his breath.

"Your enemies, for one. There may be times when you have to fight relentlessly for extended periods. You should be able to manage that." She responded dryly. "Now stop whining and start again."

He grumbled some profanities under his breath, then pulled his sword out again.

"Sheesh. You're just as bad as grandma. That old bitch has no mercy either." Yusuke shot a look at her.

He received a devious grin in response.

* * *

. **This was meant to be early in the days of Shinpi being watched. It was my idea that the guys take a sort of rotating schedule with Hiei avoiding it, but that didn't work out so much haha. This would have been the first time that Hiei took a shift.**

 **This was supposed to illustrate the first time Hiei really saw more in Shinpi. I ended up cutting it because I never found an organic way to make it happen.**

(in which Hiei learns that there's more to Shinpi than just her fighting capabilities.)

"That woman is really testing me, isn't she?" Shinpi griped, put off by the cloaked figure dirtying her table with his boots.

Hiei glowered back, silent, and merely jutted his chin away from her.

"Good. I prefer it when you're quiet." She marched over to her coffee pot, the automatic cycle completed before she'd even come down the stairs. After her first sip and a considerable amount of time just leaning against the counter, cradling the mug in her hands, she headed for the stairs.

Hiei watched her, wary as always.

"Help yourself to the coffee." She told him, voice drifting from the hall.

He eyed the carafe, then the woman, then slid out of his chair to do as she had suggested. It had been a longer night than usual anyway, patrolling for some sign of the missing humans. None were found. He presumed them all dead. And then when he'd come back to the temple that crazy old psychic had nearly immediately sent him here.

The others needed a break, she'd said. You two have to learn to work together anyway. Might as well make it now.

He doubted either of them would learn very much. Shinpi barely contained her utter contempt for him at any given moment, and he had no qualms vocalizing his immense distrust of her. But he'd come anyway.

"Next time, take off your shoes." Shinpi's reprimand brought no reaction from the fire demon, who pointedly ignored her to drink his coffee. She eyed him, watching as he glanced over the countertops. "Sugar is in the cupboard."

He huffed, opening the cabinet above the coffee pot and pulling out the small bowl of sugar, helping himself to more servings than she'd anticipated. Her lips quirked up and she tried to hide the smile. For some reason, Hiei hadn't seemed like the sort of demon who enjoyed sweet things.

(Blah blah blah shit happens)

Hiei tapped his foot, fingers digging into each arm as he stood with them crossed over his chest. The child's incessant squalling was driving him to his breaking point. Shinpi looked to the side of them at the pitiful creature, then back to the fire demon. Rolling her eyes at him, she got up and walked over, dropping down so that she could talk to the thing at eye level. Hiei watched her, doubting she'd be so bold as to murder a child in his presence.

What she did do caught him off guard. Screwing up her face, she puffed out her cheeks and crossed her eyes, putting a finger on either side of her head as though they were horns. The child hiccupped and Shinpi released the expression, offering a smile instead.

"That's better, now, why are you so upset my little friend?" She listened raptly as the child stammered over its words, telling her he was lost. And then she took his hand in her own and nodded, promising, "Well, let's fix that. We'll find your mom together."

Hiei frowned at her, but followed silently as she led the child the security area of the mall and had them make an announcement. Then she waited with him on her lap for his mother to arrive, tear streaked face and all.

"Thank you, oh my god, thank you so much." The mother cried and Shinpi only smiled back to her, waving off the gratitude. She passed the child to his mother and allowed them their reunion, walking away.

Hiei watched her. The confident walk, the pleasant smile. Her body honed to kill. And for some reason, she looked softer. Maybe it was the light in her face all of the sudden? He couldn't quite place it. But the rest of the day he paid more attention to how she interacted with her surroundings.

* * *

 **Some Shinpi and Kuwabara bonding that never made it to the page. I think the idea was that Shinpi would be revealed BEFORE chapter four and then her and Kuwabara would argue over the fight. Or maybe it was that they reacted better to her revealing herself? That sounds weird out of context.**

 **Also the original interrogation in Spirit World with Hiei. I ended up hating this so much and that's how we got the chapter of her memories. I don't write in order, as you can tell.**

"Sheesh. What is with you demons and not knowing how to make friends?" Kuwabara huffed, arms crossed as his bottom lip poked out a bit, a scowl on his face.

Now that was amusing. What rightful reason did he have to be upset?

"Are you _pouting_?" She couldn't help but be a bit incredulous.

"No."

"Yes, you are. Why?" Her alarm was real.

After a moment of tense silence he finally cast her a sidelong look, then tried to turn away but ended up just looking at her in the reflection of the screen.

"I called dibs!" He finally yelled, avoiding looking her in the eyes. "I called dibs on the guy and you stole my fight! You're just as bad as Urameshi."

It started as a surprised snort, then turned into chortling before full on laughter as she processed his complaint. Eyes bright, head back, she eventually calmed herself down. Then she rolled her head away, unable to help but feed into his minor temper tantrum.

"I mean, you wanted to fight Amon-Shinpi and the demon there wasn't. So really I didn't steal anything." She pointed out, still sparkling with amusement.

Kurama had to stare at the display. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen the girl laugh before, much less smile this long.

"Smudging the facts. Psh." Kuwabara kept his chin jerked away from her.

"You win, Kuwabara. Fine. I'll give you a freebie when I get out of here." She told him with a warm smile. "You and me, alright?"

"Who the hell said you'd be getting out of here?" Hiei demanded.

"I'd like to know that too." Koenma flattened his expression, clearly not amused with her antics. "You're in deep water missy. Destroying precious artifacts-"

"I only destroyed the demon inside."

"-spying on Spirit World personnel-"

"In no way a jailable offense."

"-illegal entry into human world-"

"I went back."

"-hijacking a human soul-"

This time her face scrunched up, disgust clear as day. "You think I did this to myself on purpose? Who would ever? I got thrown into this body by a mistake on your end. I thought I was going to hell."

He tilted back in his chair to assess her.

"You didn't come over on purpose?" Kurama asked her, eyebrows high.

"Of course not." She looked downright offended by the accusation. "I went into that fight ready to die. When the ridge closed around me, I knew I had. I was as surprised as anyone when I had to live through being an infant again."

Then she looked around at their skepticism, her brows pulling down. Even Kuwabara didn't seem to believe her. Who had these men been dealing with? Then her eyes settled onto Kurama, his knowing expression, and she dulled her own response. Of course he would. No creature alive could be more selfish than Youko Kurama. She should've known.

She reminded herself that it didn't matter if they believed her. Their opinions were meaningless in the scheme of her mission. Only Koenma really mattered at the moment. But she realized quickly that he relied heavily on the group of men to help him make these sorts of choices. If she was going to get out of here instead of rotting away in Spirit World prison, she'd have to play by their rules, not her own.

For now.

With a grimace she chewed her bottom lip, lost in a moment of indecision. What to do? Weave a story? Tell the truth? Cobalt eyes glanced at Hiei, and then away, an idea forming but even as it was created she rejected it vehemently. She wasn't that desperate yet.

 _But_ it would expedite this process.

It would also leave her utterly vulnerable to the person in the room who had the most reason not to trust her.

Was it worth the risk?

"You're scheming, aren't you?" Hiei snorted, rolling his eyes. "It's so pathetically obvious looking at you. The wheels are turning so fast I can almost smell smoke."

"Not scheming, thinking." She barely corrected him, the words quiet, withdrawn. "Considering."

"Hn. An escape plan? Quaint." He turned his attention to Kurama. "I knew something was wrong with her."

"Your pride is easy to bruise, Hiei, there was no reason for us to suspect she was Amon-Shinpi's reincarnation." Kurama drawled the words.

While they talked, she thought. Worked the angles, calculated the risks. Yes or no. It was a flip of the coin. Both sides held substantial risk. The odds just wouldn't stack in her favor no matter how she tried to arrange them.

For the first time she was accepting of Hiei's presence.

With a resolute sigh, she reached up and yanked her hair free of the tie, allowing it to spill over her shoulders and down her back. Fishing the ward from her locks was easy, destroying it a matter of ripping it in half. The noise of the paper tearing echoed in the room, all conversation stopping as she stared Koenma hard in the eyes.

"If I'm telling the truth, you'll let me go?" She asked him. "I don't care if it's on probation as long as you allow me to leave."

He studied her. For the most part she looked like any other petite human girl. But the way her eyes penetrated him spoke volumes about her, and he could see the desperation in those depths.

"Let the Jaganshi look." She told him, almost a plead but mostly a demand. "He'll be able to verify."

That peaked Hiei's interest, turning his attention fully towards her, then flitting it back to Koenma. Without the word he could delve into her mind with ease, pull at any thought he wished. She'd been guarded herself to carefully until this moment. So why was she suddenly letting this happen? Could it be a trap? A test? Some piece of yet another elaborate plan to get her away from here?

Koenma frowned, then moved his eyes to Hiei.

"It's up to you." He told the fire demon, leaving it in his hands.

Hiei stepped up, closing the space between himself and this wretched woman who'd played them all. He cut his eyes down her then back up, scrutinizing her face. When he raised his hand, she watched it, her muscles all clenching. She was prepared to flee at any moment, the posture of an animal backed into a corner with no way out.

"I'll be able to see anything I want." He told her darkly, eyes narrowed.

"I'll have to trust that you won't go further than you need to." She told him back, cold, detached.

He splayed his fingers in front of her face, pulling the bandana's knot loose so that the wrap fell around his shoulders.

She fixated on the eye, watching it open slowly. It was larger than she'd expected. Her mouth went dry but she planted her feet, forced resolve into her stomach. To him, these things rolled off of her in waves, easy to catch. The mild panic in her throat. The disgust at allowing this to happen. They were superficial thoughts, fleeting emotions that didn't matter right now.

Hiei dove deeper.

She tensed, the pressure of his entry into her mind recognized immediately. There was an active restraint to keep her mental walls down. _Interesting._ She'd encountered a powerful psychic before. An image of Mukuro wasn't far below the surface. Interesting. They'd met in person.

He moved on.

When he probed at her identity her story didn't waver. She thought of herself as Amon-Shinpi. Mikamoto was a cover, a thin veil and to this woman, another symbol of her gross failure. She no more wanted to be human than she wanted to be alive. He tugged on that thread, followed her logic.

She needed to kill Hiro. It was the only way to end this nightmare. Kill him and be done with it.

 _Who the fuck is Hiro?_

 **Sidenote- don't we all wish we could go back to wondering Who the fuck Hiro was?**

The name sputtered forth such a dark vehemence he almost recoiled from it. Hatred. Pure and true. Deep. He didn't press into that area, instead moving onto her human life.

She was telling the truth. She'd been horrified and confused to learn she was still alive. And stricken when she discovered she was human. An infant no less. Her awareness of herself was profound from a young age. It reminded him of himself. And unlike Kurama, she hadn't thrown herself into this existence. _Why_? Oh, there it was.

Her human mother. Why wasn't she as attached to this woman as Kurama was to his?

She was dead. Murdered. That brought up more rage. A deeper sense of failure. She'd found her, during the incident, the man over her wielding the kitchen knife with a wild look in his eyes. She'd felt cold, comfortable in that moment. Glad for it, almost. The overwhelming sadness kept at bay by her thirst for blood.

The memory shut down, shifted. Hiei was slightly amused that she'd been able to keep him going further.

 _Yukina_. This was emptiness that filled with warmth. A sort of benign adoration that spanned a lifetime. Trust, maybe love. He wasn't sure how to handle that so he ignored it and moved on.

There was the sensation that his discomfort registered with her and she'd enjoyed it.

What about the team?

More importantly, had she been the one he hadn't been able to catch?

A smug response. Pride. She'd been watching them for weeks before he'd noticed. And she'd escaped. But underneath the initial victory a sense of frustration. Humiliation. Running away was a coward's tactic, she should've been strong enough to face him.

If she couldn't face him, how could she defeat Hiro?

 _That name again_.

Hiei tried to follow it down the rabbit hole of her mind. But he merely glimpsed a face, tan skin, golden hair, before he was overwhelmed by emotion. Rage. Hatred. Fury. Disappointment. Love. Confusion. Betrayal.

Sadness. Desperation.

A sense of deserving that seemed to coincide with how she viewed herself. But then the connection shut down, her walls thrown up in an instant and he was cut off.

Hiei resurfaced, dizzy, annoyed and mildly impressed.

"You kicked me out." Hiei told her, opening his eyes to stare at the woman under his palm.

"I'm about to lose consciousness. If I'd let you meander about, you'd have poked at all my secrets." She tried to sound strong, firm, but the sway of her body while she tried to remain upright negated all the effects. "Satsified?"

"You aren't lying about not wanting to be human." Hiei allowed, turning to Koenma. "She's been repeating a name though. Hiro. It's why she wants to get out of here so desperately. She intends to kill him."

"Bastard." She clenched her teeth around the word.

Hiei snorted at her, going to throw and insult, but she spoke over him.

"He's a bastard. And you need to let me-" Her demand was cut off by her eyes rolling up into her head. A trickle of blood spilled from her nose as Yusuke caught her from behind, her limp neck rolling her head into his shoulder.

Hiei frowned. "How long was I in there for?"

"Like an hour." Kuwabara told him.

"Why didn't you stop me! That's too much stress for a feeble human brain! She could have had a hemorrhage!" Hiei snapped at all of them. "If she dies because of this, it's not on me. I have no sense of time in these moments."

"We were going to stop you, but she wouldn't let us." Koenma explained to him. "She said you hadn't found what you were looking for and to let you do your job."

"Hn. She may be an annoying bitch but at least she's somewhat sensible." Hiei glared at the woman. "She knew her only chance was my approval."

* * *

 **Shinpi being stupid and flirting with Hiei. Again I never found a good way to integrate this so it got cut. Their relationship evolved differently than I meant for it too. Sometimes that happens.**

"Could you show me that technique? I've never seen it before. Did you develop it?" Shinpi gestured to Hiei, and he straightened, coming out of the lunge to standing and eying his sword. Then the woman. Then the sword. "It's alright, if you can't. It just looks effective, is all. Complicated too."

Hiei lifted his gaze from the blade to meet her eyes.

"It's not that complicated." He admitted, then turned his face away. "Just watch. I'll do it again next time."

"Thank you." She smiled at him and the expression visibly caught him off guard.

"Shut up. It's not a favor. It's self-preservation. If I'm going to be stuck fighting with you, you might as well be useful, woman. Just be sure to keep up."

"Naturally."

Her quick acceptance brought a little color to his cheeks. But he tried not to let it show. Kurama hid a smile by turning to look at Yukina and Genkai. Genkai's guarded smirk vocalized her thoughts more than anything else could have. Even Yukina had to lift a hand to mouth to avoid showing her grin.

"Am I correct in assuming she's an expert swordsman?" Kurama kept his voice carefully low.

* * *

 **Cellphones, in my AU? It's more likely than you think. I ultimately cut this for the phones and because I couldn't make it work.**

Hiei made a face, surprised to find the phone Kurama had given him vibrating on the table beside his bed. He snatched it up, annoyed, and glanced at the detective's name. Kurama had programmed the damn thing with the team's information already.

 _Hope your ready to get throttled. Her progress is amazeballs._ The words preceded a picture of Shinpi smirking, muscles covered in sweat as she obviously struggled to stay on her feet. The last piece of a vine in the photo alerted to him to the fact someone had photographed the woman fighting Kurama.

Hiei noted that he actually had a few missed messages. Most of them pictures from members of the team depicting the woman in her trials.

His favorite so far was the one where her hands were obviously bound above her head, her gaze aiming to kill whoever had dared to take the picture.

Something about the utter lethality in her stare made him smirk.

 _If the woman wants to share her progress, have her contact me directly_. Hiei shot back to Kurama.

The phone went off, still in his hand.

 _She says she's too busy. Genkai will limit her sleeping hours if she finds out she has too much free time. You should come for a visit, I'm sure you'd enjoy testing her yourself._ The familiar number read and his smirk grew into a near grin.

 _She's not the only one training._

The conversation died there, allowing Hiei to scroll back through the photos. It was unusual for the team to contact him so often. He'd had the damn phone for nearly three years and had barely amassed ten messages. That number had nearly tripled on this day alone.

He hoped this wasn't a new trend.

But still, he admired the growth he saw in the pictures. Her form had improved, her gaze penetrating and cold. It spurred him to his feet, launching him down toward the training room under the castle.

"Send someone expendable. I want to kill something." Hiei told Mukuro as he passed. "And make them strong. I'm training."

"For what?" She questioned without truly expecting an answer, her lips pulling up on the edges. "You've been preoccupied recently."

Hiei stopped, his back to her. Looking over his shoulder he assessed her amused expression. Then he turned and walked back toward her, realizing he'd been ignoring a valuable asset.

"Those fairytales you told me about some lost king, they've inspired me." He stopped a few feet away, offering his explanation. "A single demon who could devastate your armies and cultivate your favor? Impossible. But enticing. I'd like to live up to that reputation."

"Amon-Shinpi wasn't a myth, Hiei. We met on a few occasions. She was a formidable demon full of raw potential. The only thing about her that is up for question to me is her death." Mukuro crossed her arms, her smile growing. "How unlike you to be brought to motivation by mere tales."

"Hn. Are you complaining about me wanting to get stronger?" He asked, his smirk revealing that he already knew this wasn't the case.

"Merely interested in your true motivations, Hiei. Do what you need to do. Consider me invested in this new ambition of yours." She waved her hand and he nodded, turning away again to head down below the castle. "If you were to face armies, though, I would hope it would be at my side."

"Who else would I want to fight for?" Hiei threw the question out just before descending the stares, leaving Mukuro to wonder at the answer.

Hiei seemed to assume the answer was no one, but she wasn't so sure. In the last weeks he'd been charged, ready for combat and desperate to test his strength against loftier and loftier goals. Now this active training. If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was preparing for a fight. Her smile grew to its full width, her eyes closing.

* * *

 **More shoving Hiei understanding Shinpi in everyone's faces and it just wasn't organic.**

"I wasted my youth getting my family killed and running a kingdom into the ground." Shinpi told them blandy, a miasmas of bitter emotion falling round her. It darkened her aura and energy. The usual green turning murky, muddy.

"And I thought I had a bad childhood." Hiei snorted.

The others looked at him as if he'd lost his mind.

Shinpi laughed, shaking her head. Then she sighed, the cloud around her lifted, and she eyed him. "You're a bastard."

"I can't argue that." He allowed with a smirk and she continued to grin. "Weren't we training?"

Yusuke raised his eyebrows, turning to Kurama, who shook his head to maintain silence. He'd long before noticed that Hiei had a way of handling the wolf demoness. He didn't bother bringing it up in case it ruined the whole affair.

* * *

 **I wrote this out because it came to me to have Hiei demand Shinpi stop crying. But ugh. What even is this? Where's the emotion, the tension, the drama?**

"Why are you crying?" Hiei demanded, alarmed. "You're supposed to be a warrior!"

"I'm angry!" Shinpi shouted back at him. "Having emotions doesn't make me any less formidable!"

He couldn't seem to get the next pot shot out, and she noticed, her words effectively cutting off whatever he had been about to scream at her. Wiping at the fresh tears, she delivered a glower onto him so fierce he grimaced. Pulling back from the argument he frowned, looking away.

"Well stop it." He told her firmly. "I hadn't expected you to cry and I'm not about to comfort you over your temper, so just stop it."

"I'm not about to put your comfort over my own needs." She hissed at him darkly. "And no one would ever consider asking you to offer a shoulder to lean on, made of jagged edges as you are."

"Watch it." Hiei growled. "It'd be a lot easier to get along with you if you weren't such a mouthy brat."

"We often loathe the traits in others that we detest in ourselves." She shot back at him, eyes narrowed. "No one on this team is quite as mouthy as you, Hiei, so perhaps you should examine where your ire is truly coming from."

"Don't psychoanalyze me."

"Don't be a psycho that needs analyzing."

They stared each other down, the air between them becoming charged with their tempers and irritation. Finally, both of them jerked away, stomping in opposite direction while muttering insults under their breath and cutting glares over their shoulders.

"I hope you die before your mission is completed." Hiei seethed, making sure she could hear him.

"Tch. That's not even your hope, it's mine." Shinpi snorted, refusing to look back at him, continuing her processional into the forest.

But Hiei came to a stop, spinning around to stare at her back. Genkai's words filtered back to him through the haze of his anger. _Killing Hiro is her only purpose._ Was this damn woman daft? How could she just so casually remark on her own death with that sarcastic hopefulness?

"Stop saying that."

Shinpi came to a halt, back rigid.

"Stop pretending your life has no value. You're a good fighter. You're a gifted protector. You should have higher desires for yourself than dying at the hands of a demon not even good enough to clean your shoes."

"Weren't you the one who just wished me dead?" She turned to stare at him, expression empty and cold. "Don't get soft on me now, Hiei. Here I thought we had finally come to an understanding."

"The only thing I understand is that you're wasting your talents chasing ghosts." Hiei huffed. "Beyond that, this is inane."

Her eyes squinted, roving him from top to bottom then back up as if she were picking up new details she hadn't seen before. Hiei didn't hide from her icy scrutiny. He didn't care what she thought she was seeing.

"Your edges aren't as sharp as I thought they were." She told him, and it was the only thing she said before she turned away and headed into the dense greenery of the forest.

Hiei didn't pursue her into her wooded refuge. He didn't think it necessary. She'd gotten his point.

 **I hated this softball reveal. Hated it. I think I rewrote this three times before finally settling on what I published. This scene was meant to follow the previous.**

"Before Hiro killed my brother we were married." Shinpi told Hiei. "I loved him. I thought the world of him, for a time. But it unraveled quickly and it was a fatal error on my part. After Kin, he came for me. I was so blinded by betrayal and hatred that I made stupid mistakes. He injured me. I was forced to retreat and when I came back to finish the job later, I died before it was completed. I was so close to ending this. That's why it's important to me to kill him."

 _Married?_ Hiei studied his hands to avoid looking at the woman beside him, afraid of what he might see on her face and how it might affect him. If he turned right now would he see longing there, lining her blue eyes? Loneliness? Desire for her lost lover? He didn't want to consider it. And he didn't want to think about why he didn't want to see it.

"I never understood the point of marriage." Hiei spoke carefully. "We have so many similarities at times that I hadn't considered you'd feel the need to subscribe to such things."

"I hadn't meant to. It sort of happened on its own. A random chance that spiraled into something more than myself. When I was with Hiro, at first, he made me feel _alive_. For the first time in my life I lived for myself and someone outside of the family. I suppose I didn't know how to reconcile those feelings, and so I poured love into them because it was all I knew. I was naïve." She sighed, a vague wistfulness coating each syllable as they crawled passed her lips. "I was so happy to be happy that I never stopped to think about it."

Despite himself, he looked over at her profile, noting that she'd turned her face up the canopy with a look of lost reverie. But it wasn't longing in her eyes. A bit of warmth, yes, but mostly it was sadness. Grief, maybe, for the love she had lost but not the man who had taken it from her.

Hiei became engulfed in confusion as relief flooded him at the sight of her. Whatever he'd been dreading he might see was noticeable absent and now he couldn't even fathom what it might've been.

"I haven't told the others because they're a bunch of romantic fools." She frowned, still staring upward. "I don't want them interfering with this. But I thought you might understand if I explained it to you."

"I understand that you think you need to do this alone." Hiei agreed. "But I don't condone it. I think it's just another path to your eventual suicide by combat."

"Why does the idea of me dying bother you so much?"

"Because I want to see you at your best."

Silence rung between them at the honest reply. Then Hiei turned away, sighing as he lifted his gaze toward the treetops as well.

* * *

 **This is how I write notes to myself by the way (in parentheses). That way I can vomit an idea onto the page and then fill in the details late. Sometimes I have dialogue planned out better, sometimes action.**

(Yukina sleeping in bed with Shinpi to help her feel comforted and heal, a part of her pack mentality as a wolf demon. Hiei knows this. So does Kurama. The fox explains it to the others casually, as more of a tidbit than anything else.)

(Shinpi gets hurt)

"Stop fighting." Hiei snapped at her, pressing his palm against the cloth that lay over her wound. "Idiot. The more you struggle the more you're going to bleed. How many times do you need to be reminded that this body of yours is still human?"

"Don't coddle me, I don't appreciate it."

"I'm not coddling you, woman. I'm trying to keep you alive."

Staring contest.

Shinpi wincing, admitting it hurts. Them all setting up camp for the night. Her noting she isn't healing very fast. Hiei waits until the others are asleep then sits beside her, very tentatively.

"I'm not like Yukina." Hiei told her, careful to be quiet enough not to wake the others. "But I am a warm body."

Shinpi stared at him, frowning, then her cheeks began to color.

"It's not the same." She muttered, trying not to look at him. "It's just too unusual. I would only feel like I'm imposing on you and it's not like-"

Hiei grabbed her arm and pulled her to his side, eyes closed the entire time, and pinned her there by wrapping his arm around her frame. When she made a startled noise, he hushed her harshly, reminding her the others were sleeping.

"You're a bigger bother if you aren't healed and I have to pick up your slack. So shut up." Hiei huffed, more than a little aware of her hands pressed to his side, her fingertips curling into the fabric of his shirt. "Just take advantage of the resource being offered, Shinpi."

"Fine." She swallowed, sounding annoyed and uncertain. Without another complaint she adjusted herself to recline with her head in the hollow of his shoulder, knees tucked underneath her while she remained trapped under Hiei's arm.

It wasn't long after that he heard her half-conscious muttering about him being warm. When he chanced a look at her face, she was asleep, relaxed entirely against him other than her hands still gripping his shirt. Relaxing too, Hiei loosened his hold on her and allowed his head to fall back against the tree trunk behind them, pulling one knee up to rest his other arm on. He didn't want to admit it, but it wasn't uncomfortable, sitting here like this. He could see why Yukina didn't mind crawling into the okami's bed from time to time.

 **Okami. I used that word** _ **a lot**_ **in The Reborn Forgotten. Jeez.**

(what follows is Hiei attempting to sleep next to other people [Kurama/Mukuro] and learning he doesn't overall dislike the sensation) **Also, what is this? Soft!Hiei? Psh. What was I fucking thinking?**

* * *

 **Got cut because Hiei already saw her play music. Also I never put a piano in Shinpi's house? I know jack all about music theory by the way. Everything I learned I got from my husband who is an actual musician. Also, I'm pretty sure I wrote this after watching La La Land?**

The song started gently, something vague and familiar. Filled with warmth. Slowly it changed into something up-tempo. And then it shifted entirely, moving at its own pace. Hiei lifted his head, then sat up completely to watch her fingers attack the black and white keys. Head bowed, eyes partially closed, she seemed lost in a trance. But the music came, whether she was conscious or not, the music still came.

"What is that?" He asked, genuinely curious.

The music stopped, sudden stillness from her hands as they poised over the keys, hovering. Her eyes opened and life seeped back into her as she turned to look at him.

"It's music. Don't tell me the Makai has grown even more barbaric. Surely they still have music." Shinpi lowered her hands to her lap, frowning at him.

"Not like that." He nodded to the piano. "Kurama said you played the violin, not the piano."

"I play several instruments. I've always preferred to be capable with more than one weapon. Gives me an edge." She bobbed her head.

"Battle sure has changed in our world since you've been gone because I have never once had to fight with a piano." He smirked at her.

"You just haven't been to the right places." The beginnings of a grin tugged at her lips and her fingers pressed the keys again. "Back in my day, bards were the deadliest of us all."

Hiei swept his legs down, feet landing on the floor. He walked over to lean against the wall beside the piano, arms crossed over his face so he could look at her more clearly.

"Show me your worst." He told her, smirking.

"My worst?" She asked and he nodded. She waited then pursed her lips. "Alright, my worst."

And her fingers hit the keys again, a rhythm all her own. Hiei didn't know it, couldn't say he'd ever heard it before. Couldn't say he'd ever hear it again. She kept changing it, and yet it flowed.

"Jazz was always the hardest thing for me. I'm much better at classical." She explained, grinning fully. "Because jazz is all about improvising, changing in the moment. It's the epitome of innovation, of transcendence and boy do I have a hard time letting go. So, without a doubt, this is my worst. All of it. The very pits of my personality come alive to expose me."

Hiei didn't really know too much about music and he assumed she knew that about him. But he understood enough to know if this was her worst, the parts of her she struggled with the most, then she was better than she gave herself credit for.

 **Playing off the last bit and I wanted to make a bard joke.**

"She's a musician." Hiei remarked offhandedly, and it made the others look at him oddly. "Shinpi should be able to figure it out."

"I'm not a musician, Hiei. I play a few instruments." Shinpi brushed off the title. "I'm not even that good, honestly."

"Humility isn't your style, Shinpi. Shut up and get to work." He scolded her lightly. She rolled her eyes but complied with his demand. "And I happen to think your piano skills are decent. I certainly wouldn't challenge you over them."

Shinpi laughed, bright and loud. "That's good logic, Hiei. Keep the bard happy. Survive the alliance."

"What the hell is happening?" Yusuke groaned. "I feel so lost. Hiei, how do you know anything about Hichi's piano skills?"

"She played jazz for me." He shrugged as if this totally tracked with the others. "She's proficient in several instruments. Just like weapons."

"Okay, but why are you two making DnD jokes?" Kuwabara shoved his hands into his pockets, raising his eyebrows. "Are you a closet nerd or something, shrimp?"

"What the hell is DnD?" Hiei scowled. "Woman?"

"We've discussed my response rate when you don't use my name." Shinpi chided Hiei lightly, one ear exposed from the headphones, the other straining to make out the faint song.

"It's a game. You make up characters and roll dice while pretending to be fairies and shit." Yusuke snorted, annoyed.

"Actually, I believe you design elaborate campaigns and have your friends create characters to play through the trials while a maniacal creator judges you." Shinpi vocalized. "Not too far from how Koenma sends us on these missions. Only we don't get to create characters."

She pulled the headphones down around her neck and motioned for Kurama to come closer. They entered into a hushed conversation, her eyes scouring his face as they seemingly exchanged ideas.

"Sounds ridiculous." Hiei surmised. "What does this game have to do with our conversation?"

"You said bard. It's a type of character in DnD." Kuwabara rolled his eyes. "Jeez, you're so clueless."

"Oh, it's just a part of a joke. I suppose it makes more sense if you were there when she told it." Hiei shrugged. "Something about bards being the deadliest foes in her day."

A small hand clapped on Hiei's shoulder, the woman smiling behind him. She didn't remove her hand even after loosening her grip. "Explaining it will only ruin the joke. This one might just be between the two of us, dragon boy."

"Oh, suddenly we like each other enough for inside jokes?" Hiei smirked. "I see your shell is cracking."

"Your skull will be cracking if you keep running your mouth." She pulled her hand back but continued to smile. "Kurama and I think we narrowed down where the song was played. Lucky for you idiots I happen to indulge in a dirty habit from time to time that afforded me the tools to unravel this puzzle for you."

"Dirty habit?" Yusuke lent forward at the waste, leering. "Do share."

Shinpi grabbed him by the collar, her lips uncomfortably close to the cup of his ear as she whispered her secret to him in a hushed, husky voice. His cheeks turned pink at the tone and her proximity, but then he jerked back from her with a look of utter disgust.

"Ew, you listen to that shit?" He grimaced. "I thought we could be friends."

"It's called a top forty chart for a reason, jackass. They're popular songs. And I happen to find pop music easy to listen to and the beats are easy to follow." She argued with him. "Just because your grungy self doesn't appreciate it doesn't make it bad. I happen to have an eclectic taste in music because I believe being a well-rounded person is important."

"You mean a sheep."

"Is pop the same as classical?" Hiei asked, annoyed at this growing list of shit he didn't want to talk about.

"Not even close. Gross man." Yusuke frowned. "Both are terrible. We go rock or we don't go at all."

"Expand your horizons, Yusuke. And for the record, Hiei happens to be open to classical music." Shinpi put her hands on her hips.

"This conversation is a waste of all of our time." Hiei pointed out. "It's music, in the scheme of the mission, it doesn't matter. You two can squabble later."

* * *

 **Literally no reason or point to have this in the story.**

Hiei looked over the book in his hands, frowning at the colored picture depicted. The redheaded warrior staring back at him snarled, sword in hand, clothing dotted with blood.

"Something wrong?" Mukuro leaned over his shoulder to see what had struck his nerves. "Ah, doing research on your adversary I see."

Her tone was a little too keen for her to be serious, but all the same Hiei continued to scowl.

"This portrait isn't accurate." He complained. "It looks accurate, but the colors are off."

"The color?" Mukuro asked.

"Her eyes." Hiei pointed to them on the page.

"What about them?

"They're not brown, they're blue." Crimson eyes rolled, exasperated. "That blue that her tunic is. They're that color."

"I suppose you're right." Mukuro nodded. She didn't voice her interest in why he was fixated on such a minute detail.

* * *

 **First drafts often have characters just screaming important shit nonchalantly for me. I do not know why. This is why I have to write the same scene so many times sometimes. Like, this is not poignant. I owed the readers more than this bomb drop. It feels so stilted to me.**

"And if someone killed Yukina? Where would you stop pursuing them? At her grave? At yours?" Shinpi's demeanor turned icy, her voice quiet but full of rage.

He opened his mouth to respond and she cut him off.

"Your actual answer is meaningless to me because I will stop at nothing." She informed him. "I will have Hiro's head in my hands while his body rests at my feet even if I die in the process. He took something from me I can never get back."

"Your family." Hiei surmised quietly and she shook her head.

"My brother." She told him. "A little boy of the age of twelve. Hiro slaughtered him."

Hiei stared at her, her earlier question about Yukina suddenly mattering a lot more to him. Her brother? He hadn't heard of any brother. And not one so young.

"I will kill him. Not for me. For Kin." She told Hiei then looked away. "I will hunt him down and destroy him."

* * *

 **Given how Shinpi developed this time around, her taking on six humans wasn't exactly a huge deal so I cut this. I liked the idea of Shinpi being scared and Hiei taking responsibility but that turned into her getting kidnapped and tortured and Hiei freaking out slightly.**

"Run!" Shinpi shouted the command and Yukina didn't hesitate to follow it. Turning back to the group of thugs who had begun to surround her, Shinpi rolled her shoulders. "Just us now, boys, who wants the first dance?

(Some Shinpi solo fight scene. Cut to Yukina getting Hiei. Hiei showing up.)

Hiei registered the scene, but it took him a second to process what he was witnessing. Four men lay in various states of consciousness and battery around Shinpi who had been pinned to the ground by three more. One on each arm, one with a knee digging into her left thigh as he leaned over her with a knife pressed to her cheek, drawing a bead of blood from her skin. The woman stared at what appeared to be the gang leader with such a fierce hostility that Hiei could almost feel her hatred.

"I hate to mess up that pretty face. It'd fetch a decent price on the market." The man with the knife ran his tongue over his teeth as he looked down at her, eyes roving her body.

Shinpi responded by jerking her head suddenly, forcing the knife to cut down her cheek. As blood poured from the wound she glared up at her captor.

"Fuck you." She spit at him. "I'd rather be decapitated right here and now you boar."

Hiei fell on them without warning, taking out the two men holding Shinpi's arms with a kick that might have broken a few too many bones for Koenma's comfort. Shinpi reacted as soon as her arms were free, her free leg rising, crushing against her attacker's side. It sent them rolling. It was the last movement Hiei saw before turning his back on her to land a spiteful punch against one of the men's jaw, relishing in the crack that resulted. He heard Shinpi grunt, then the man with the knife cry out, causing him to turn around.

Blood pooled over the front of the woman's clothes, a flood of deep crimson. Shinpi staggered, remaining on her feet, one hand in the man's shirt, the other dropping against his face. He sagged out of her grip and she let him fall to the ground. Pale and sweating, she looked over at Hiei. Her mouth opened to say something, but her body gave out before she could. Hiei caught her before she hit the ground, kneeling with one arm under her shoulders and the other under her buckled knees.

"Keep your eyes open." Hiei demanded to no avail. With a growl he looked around the abandoned lot and then back at the woman bleed out in his arms. "Shinpi."

She didn't respond, her body entirely limp and skin ashen.

"I'm going to use the Jagan." He warned her, not sure why he bothered. The third eye opened and he allowed himself to step one proverbial foot into her head, mostly just to make sure she wasn't about to die. She'd fallen into a wasteland of black that began to grow murky, the beginnings of a dream pulling at her.

Good. Dreaming was good. He got to his feet, hoisting her up with him, and started out for some sort of healer, his stomach tied into knots. He wouldn't say he was worried about her. The feeling was more like guilt. He'd assured the team he could manage Shinpi, and he'd allowed her to get injured. As a guardian, he was obviously lacking. Still, as long as she didn't die he could say it wasn't a total loss.

…

"She's waking up. The light is too bright, turn it off."

Shinpi pulled her brows down, eyes still pinched shut against the intrusively bright light at the voice that greeted her. The fact it had sounded her thoughts doubled her annoyance with the situation.

"Do you mind getting out of my head?" She muttered, peeking one eye open after the light went out, bathing the room in the dim afterglow of sun filtered through blinds.

"Now that you're conscious, gladly." Hiei's stoic expression didn't seem to quite fit with his tone. He'd tried to be sarcastic, but mostly he just sounded worn.

Shinpi adjusted herself, moving to sit, when a bandaged hand stopped her. Frowning at Hiei, she glanced over to Kurama who stood at the foot of her hospital bed.

"You've had stitches. It'd be best if you didn't move too much." Kurama explained, to which she nodded. "Hiei called me once he arrived here."

Questions immediately began to form in her mind. Why was she in the hospital? It seemed Hiei had brought her, but that seemed like an unusual choice for him. As a demon, she assumed he shied away from human facilities as often as he could. How long had she been unconscious? For that matter, given Hiei's response to her asking him to get out of her mind, how long had he been haunting her thoughts? What had he seen?

"You should see the other guys." She grinned at Kurama, a cheeky smile that made him offer a slightly softer in return. At her side, Hiei tensed. "What?"

"Don't make light of it." Hiei scolded her, definitely sounding tired now. "You could have died."

She stared at him, but didn't respond. Squinting, memorizing his expression, she looked away from his face after a moment. Hiei didn't speak either.

"You were in rough shape." Kurama agreed with the fire demon. "If Hiei hadn't brought you here, you might have died."

As Hiei remained quiet, but close, Shinpi glanced at him again. The same strange expression on her face. Hiei stared back, a blank slate, and her eyes flicked to Kurama once more.

"My understanding of the situation," she began, "is currently that while Yukina and I were shopping we were attacked. I allowed for Yukina to escape to get help, and she found Hiei. While I fought, Hiei came to aid me, ultimately taking out two men at once so I could handle the final attacker. Then, after I lost consciousness from being stabbed, Hiei decided to drag me to a human hospital where he called you, and during my recovery remained here with his Jagan open to monitor my mind until I woke up. Is this correct?"

"That's the information I have as well." Kurama nodded.

"Why did you bring me here?" Shinpi turned to Hiei finally to ask the question. "Why not the temple?"

"You were bleeding out. Immediate medical attention was required, and since I'm not a capable of healing, I had to settle for this madhouse." Hiei glared at the walls around him.

"Not up to your standards?"

"No." Hiei responded dryly. "I called Kurama so I could have him explain to the idiot doctors that you didn't like being touched, but apparently I'm out of my depth."

"She needed triage, Hiei, there was nothing to be done." Kurama sighed, as if he'd had this conversation too many times for his liking. "And the nurses all have jobs to do."

"The machine does plenty. They didn't need to fondle her."

"They didn't fondle you." Kurama was quick to look at Shinpi and explain, his tone exasperated. "Hiei simply doesn't understand the way hospitals work. The staff did their jobs. And he had to call me because they threatened to call the police if he kept interfering."

"Interfering?" Shinpi looked to Hiei again, curious.

"They cut your clothes. I tried to stop them." Hiei crossed his arms, scowling. "And then the needles, the noise, the machines, and all the people touching you. If I'd known it was going to be this way I would have just risked the trip to the temple."

 **Protective Hiei is so good. I love him.**

"She would have died." Kurama pointed out, annoyed. "I already explained this."

"Well, at any rate, thank you both." Shinpi took advantage of their staring contest to sit herself up and rest against the back of the raised bed. The stitches in her stomach pulled but not so much so that she might ruin her recovery. "Hiei, I appreciate you coming to help me and then taking care of me. It must have been a huge bother. Kurama, thank you for keeping Hiei in line."

"It wasn't a bother." Hiei snapped at her, then pulled himself back. The longer she stared at him the more ruffled he seemed. "It was stupid of you to try and take on seven of them alone."

"I had no choice."

"It was still a bad decision."

…

Even in the muted light, Hiei's eyes traced the scar forming on Shinpi's cheek. She shifted in her sleep, restless, and her eyes pinched. Another nightmare, he assumed. Vaguely, he wondered if she ever dreamt pleasant things. Her subconscious, from his time meandering through it while trying to keep her from fading away, was a tumultuous and guilt ridden thing. He ignored the thought, pressing his lips together as he studied the wound on her face again.

It wasn't that long ago he'd awkwardly told her that her lack of battle hardened features bothered him. The conversation had been a mess and he wasn't entirely sure she understood his point. Although, maybe she had.

She hadn't done this to prove something, had she?

Hiei's guilt edged toward the surface again and he shoved it back, repressing it. Shinpi was a capable fighter. She knew her limits. Not to mention, she was a skilled strategist. He didn't need to question her reasoning because it was plain. When her captor complimented her face she ruined it so that he couldn't sell her. As with most things that drove the woman, spite could be found at the center of the puzzle. And she would look more like a fighter now, with the pink line cutting at an angle over her flesh.

He hated it.

She moved again in her sleep, hands flexing then curling into fists in the blanket as her lips pulled back. A wince. Hiei got to his feet and walked to her side, placing one hand on her forehead. Her expression faltered, easing back to one that spoke of peaceful rest. He waited a second longer than necessary before removing himself back to the chair, allowing himself to lean his head back against the wall to get a few moments of peace himself.

He didn't need anyone to come get him when Koenma arrived. He'd been waiting for this moment ever since he'd found Shinpi pinned to the ground. Walking down the hall he passed Yukina, who seemed surprised to see him.

"She's having nightmares again." Hiei told the koorime, glancing down the hall toward the group of people he knew were waiting for him. "You might want to check on her."

"You've done your best, you know." Yukina frowned at him.

Hiei walked away from her, not bothering to vocalize that if this was his best then he deserved whatever was about to happen. The team and Koenma, complete with Botan, waited for him when he entered the living room. Genkai remained to the side, watching the gathering with a particular expression Hiei had come to realize meant something more was at play than he knew.

Wizened eyes met his, holding the eye contact for longer than he was comfortable. With an annoyed raise of her eyebrows and a flattening of her expression, she looked away.

Understandable, he'd allowed her friend and charge to be grievously injured.

"How's she doing?" Botan asked, breaking the tense silence.

"She'll heal." Hiei told her.

"That's it? She'll heal?" Yusuke glared over at the fire demon. "You say that like you'd say the sky is blue."

"Both are facts." Hiei pointed out with a careful dryness entering his tone.

Kurama glanced at Yusuke, obviously ready to intervene, but Hiei shook his head slightly. Whatever Yusuke had to say, he needed to get it out. His words weren't anything Hiei hadn't thought himself.

"She could have died." Yusuke pointed out, lounging on the couch but tense as a coiled spring. "Shinpi could have died because you weren't doing your job. Where were you? What was so damn important you weren't with her?"

Hiei didn't answer, instead looking over to Koenma.

"I'm aware this could have been avoided. I know what you're going to say." Hiei told the Spirit Prince. "She responds well to Kurama."

Koenma nodded, accepting the suggestion easily. "Yusuke asked a good question, Hiei. Where were you?"

"It doesn't matter." Shinpi's voice cut through their conversation.

Hiei stiffened, spinning around to face her as she remained on the threshold of the room. Her eyes glanced off him, then to Yusuke, Botan, Kurama, Genkai, and finally Koenma. Hiei stole a look at Genkai, who had settled back into her a wry smile.

"You're supposed on bedrest." Hiei spoke up, staring at the woman. "You'll pull your stitches."

"I've had worse." She assured him without meeting his eyes. Still staring at Koenma she went on. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to discuss relieving Hiei of his station over your care. This lapse in judgement could have resulted in the loss of your life, and it must be addressed." Koenma explained carefully, already looking far more tense with her sudden appearance. "Would you prefer Kurama or Yusuke to be your caretaker?"

"Hiei will do just fine." Shinpi told him firmly, earning looks from everyone in the room.

"He should have been with you." Yusuke argued, frowning at her. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"If I have a problem with Hiei's abilities, I will be sure to inform you all. I will not be coddled by Yusuke or smothered by Kurama." Shinpi stated, taking a careful step into the room.

"You could have _died_." Yusuke persisted, moving to sit up. His feet touched the floor and he leaned forward, staring at her. "Hiei's been flippant about this whole deal. Pick between me and Kurama."

Those cobalt eyes turned to him and there was nothing friendly in the gaze. Shinpi raised one careful eyebrow. "I refuse."

"Then we'll do it for you." Yusuke got to his feet and walked over to Koenma.

"It's for the best." Hiei kept his voice low, speaking to the woman who'd come to stand close to him. "They're right. I knew this would happen the minute I saw you."

"Unfortunate that you lack my ability to guess what follows." She told him quietly, unamused. Louder she spoke to Koenma. "Before you open your mouth and say something you don't mean, may I offer my own suggestion? Or am I to have no power at all over my life now?"

Yusuke clamped his teeth down, whirling around to face her. Kurama stepped back, sensing the half-demon's temper rising.

"Why are you protecting him?" Yusuke demanded. "We're worried about you. We want you safe."

"Which is exactly why I don't want to be under your thumb." Shinpi shot back at him, her own temper rising. "Hiei is the only choice exactly because of your concern. I will not see him punished for doing his job, much less for trusting me."

Yusuke blinked, glancing at Hiei who seemed equally caught off guard by the words. Kurama smiled then, understanding dawning on him.

"Hiei chose not to go with you because he felt you'd be able to handle any situation that arose." Kurama surmised, voicing the thoughts for the others. Shinpi nodded to his words so he went on. "If he'd known about the dangers, do you think he would have joined you?"

"Certainly." She nodded once, then cut her attention back to Yusuke and Koenma. "Well intentioned or not, I'll agree that this may have been a poor exercise of judgement on Hiei's part. But seeing as how none of you are affected I don't see the merit in you punishing him."

Hiei frowned then. "Shinpi."

"I'm the one who got gutted. I'll handle the reprimand." Shinpi ignored Hiei's quiet protest. "Hiei will stay in his position because he is the most capable of this task. It has been his ability to judge a situation and my strength that has allowed me to grow this much in such a short time. The rest of you would go easy on me, would shadow me and I would stagnate."

Koenma rubbed his face and then looked to Yusuke. The young man had put his hands on his hips, eyes glued to Shinpi as she spoke. It was obvious by the light in his eyes that he was carefully digesting everything she said.

"Shinpi." Hiei sighed, annoyed with the whole business now. "You're making this harder than it has to be, _as usual_. Bending logic to your will won't change anything."

"You want me to back down?" She asked him and it seemed a charged question.

"Yes." Hiei answered firmly. "I do."

"On a condition, _as usual_." She mimicked his tone. "If you can look me in my eyes and tell me you don't want to work with me anymore, I will do whatever they say."

Hiei stared at her, closing his eyes and gathering his thoughts. "You'll do what they say anyway."

"Is that what you think of me? An obedient dog?" Shinpi glared at him. "Fine. Say the words, then, Jaganshi."

"Don't call me that."

"Say it."

Hiei stared at her, jaw locking. He opened his mouth to hurl the statement at her. It was there, on his tongue. But when he swallowed, the words slipped away and he found himself saying something else entirely. "I don't deserve to look after you, Shinpi, it has nothing to do with what I want."

She blinked, taken aback. The sentence hung in the room, taking up far more space than it should have to be such a small thing to say. Shinpi reached over her stomach to grab her arm, looking away from him and seeming uncomfortable in his presence suddenly. She shifted the weight of her body foot to foot slowly, head craned away.

"I'm the undeserving one." She killed all of their thoughts, sighing after uttering the words. "It's been a long time since so many people cared about whether or not I lived or died. After Yukina left, I entered the fight thinking of myself, because I was angry. I got careless. And even after you saved me, I continued to act without thinking. I'm sorry, to all of you."

(hugs or some touchy shit that makes her uncomfy. Genkai entering conversation. Hiei stays. Weird no understanding between H and S. Koenma, B and Y lingering and then discussing updates on the current case. G talking to K about their relationship.)

* * *

 **They got too close to quick for me to make this convo work. I was going to use it on their first mission but somehow it didn't fit.**

"How is your mother? Yukina mentioned she was married now. I take it her good health has been holding out." Shinpi dropped the question so casually Kurama barely realized how strange it was coming from her mouth.

"Yes, she's quite well." Kurama nodded and then blinked, turning to look at her. "What makes you ask?"

"I just hadn't heard much about her since our younger school days." Shinpi shrugged, hands in her pockets.

"Shinpi prayed for her recovery before you used the mirror." Hiei interjected absently, eyes scanning the street with a scowl on his face.

Kurama started at the information while Shinpi merely glared at Hiei. He tossed her an uncaring look in response. If she'd expected that to be a secret, she should've told him so. Not that he'd have kept it for her.

"Ass." She grumbled quietly, rolling her eyes away from Hiei.

"Is that what Hiei referred to during his interrogation? When he asked why you'd pray for someone you didn't know?" Kurama glanced down at Shinpi who refused to acknowledge his gaze.

"It is." She allowed, though it seemed her guard had been raised again. "After losing my mother I couldn't imagine wishing that pain on another."

Hiei made a sound that earned him another of her cold glares. Kurama glanced at him as well, curious about his obvious disbelief.

"What now?" She demanded.

"You see too much of yourself in Kurama, that's why you did it. You've used him as your canary for years and when you realized that he might be heading down the same path as you, you wanted to prevent that. You wanted his life to remain intact so you could fantasize it was yours." Hiei turned over his shoulder to speak, only the slightest edge to his tone. "And yes, it had something to do with your loss."

"You gleamed all that from a microsecond of interaction?" Shinpi frowned at him. "You're either far more insightful than you appear to be or you're the world's best bullshit artist."

"I think that title is all yours." He tossed back easily and smirked when she huffed.

"I'm charmed, all the same, that you cared." Kurama interrupted their squabble to put an end to it. "Thank you."

"Whatever. It's like Hiei said, it was purely selfish." Shinpi blushed slightly, when she glimpsed the redhead's warm smile.

"I still don't understand why you didn't blackmail him though. Given your personality it seems like your style." The fire demon offered the idea without much interest.

"Blackmail me?" Kurama's interest piqued and he turned a sly smile toward the woman accompanying them. "My dear Shinpi, I'm alarmed, really."

"We discussed this in Spirit World. I have no interest in blackmail." Shinpi heaved a sigh and put a lot of effort into looking annoyed. "Besides, who would blackmail the great Yoko Kurama? I didn't have my power back at that point, not really. I would've stood no chance against you or your little specter of a friend."

"When did you discover who I was?" Kurama asked, clearly amused.

"Shortly after I did." Hiei announced and again, earned himself a harsh look from the woman, not that he noticed.

"I don't need you answering questions for me, Jaganshi." Shinpi closed her eyes, lifting her chin up. "I'll answer truthfully on my own. Even you know that."

"Offering credence to your statements fosters trust in you." Hiei explained to her coolly. "If you're going to work with Kurama, it's best he trusts you."

She raised her eyebrow and glanced at him but said nothing. Her expression brought him to a stop, something about it bothering him. He couldn't quite place what it was though.

"We should trade notes." Kurama smiled at Shinpi, pulling her attention from Hiei. "We can start a club: Demons In Human Guise."

"That'd be a small club, what with it just being the two of us." She smiled back, a gleam lighting her eyes.

"Indeed, it would." Kurama agreed. "After this is over we'll have our first meeting over coffee then. You can tell me what it was like growing up for you and I'll give you my version of events."

"No doubt this will be the most charming interrogation I've ever been a part of." Shinpi nodded, her grin growing into something teasing. "Of course, if you wanted to take me to coffee you could've just asked."

"I figured I'd make it more enticing for you." Kurama shrugged and Hiei glared at both of them.

"Are you two done?" He snapped. "We're on a case. We're not here so you two can maul each other like every other pair of human idiots."

"A lady doesn't maul, Hiei. Not unless she's asked very nicely." Shinpi smirked at him.

 **I do love that parting line though.**

* * *

 **There is no excuse. I just wanted to write Shinpi annoying Hiei with her violin but they adjusted to each other and now it wouldn't work out.**

"I've noticed you seem to like the quiet. You don't watch TV or anything." Shinpi pointed out to Hiei as he lounged on her couch.

The fire demon peeled one eye open, annoyed he'd been drawn from his nap by the sound of her voice. "Yes?"

"Well, I hope you don't mind me having to practice." She clicked open the case of her violin while staring at him, unblinking. "I mean, I don't want to annoy you. I just don't want to get rusty."

That may be the first lie she'd ever told him, Hiei thought. "It's fine with me."

He let his head fall back down, suppressing the glare he wanted to offer. How bad could her music be? He'd listened to her sing and play already, hadn't he? And if she sang, honestly, he couldn't imagine it being awful. He'd probably fall back to sleep in no time.

But then Shinpi drug the bow across the strings and what poured forth was the most obnoxious, fervent, music he'd ever heard. And he'd heard Kuwabara's _Megallica_ cd's more than once. This was a fast paced, keening, arrangement. And when Shinpi sang along with it? It was in that annoying, guttural secondary language of hers. Quick and harsh.

It was like watching someone possessed when he opened his eyes to glare at her.

But her hands never ceased their movements. In a lull where she only had to play and not sing, she leveled him with that unblinking stare. Wide blue eyes fixing on him like a predator hoping to intimidate prey.

"It's not too much, I hope."

"Not at all, if anything I like this display of emotion. You show so little." Hiei sat up and began to watch he with mocking interest. "Play more for me, princess _._ "

She dug the bow against the strings and continued into the next verse. Suddenly the strings began to smoke from how quickly she drug the rosined bow over them, and all at once they snapped. Shinpi jumped, as did Hiei, at the sudden sound and silence that followed. Blue eyes flashed wide, the words she'd been singing dying on her lips as she gaped at her violin.

"Mother fucker." She hissed.

Hiei blinked, then smirked. "I liked that song, play it again."

She visibly twitched at his warm appreciation. Whirling around on him, she inhaled, lips parting to hurl some insult his way, but she let it fall out in silence, pushing the breath from her lungs with practiced patience. Hiei tipped his head to the side, daring her to say what she'd meant to.

"This happens all the time." She told him then, raising an eyebrow. "I keep extra strings in the case."

"I look forward to hearing the rest of the song." He responded with eyes narrowed.

They stared at each other for a long second and then Shinpi sighed, looking away from him.

"I'll get right on that." Shinpi lowered the instrument to its case and fiddled with it until the strings came clear and she replaced them with great care. "The song is harsh on the strings."

"I can see that." Hiei pointed out with some humor. "It's different from what you played before."

"It is." She agreed. "It's American. I normally play more classical but my time in America lead me to discover bluegrass and country music. I appreciate the twang. It offers a different feel from the classical music I've been playing most of my life."

"It's definitely more energetic." He agreed. "What's that seizure of a song called?"

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia." She told him calmly. Then relented and pouted. "I was trying to annoy you into leaving."

"I'm aware."

"You're more tolerant than I realized."

"That's the first time I've been accused of being tolerant."

"Fine, you're far too stubborn to bow when I want you to." She told him with a cool glare. "Would it kill you to give me space?"

"It might kill you. Not a chance I'm willing to take." Hiei went back to laying down. "Go ahead, and play, Shinpi. Do your worst."

* * *

 **I decided not to have Shinpi and Shizuru date because navigating that fallout seemed too hard. Yup. That's the real reason. I'm lazy. I'm sorry**

Hiei smirked and went to say something to Shinpi about Yusuke's idiocy but when he turned around, she was otherwise occupied. He swallowed the words, turning away to watch the morons goof off instead of staring at what was happening next to him. Seeing Shinpi look so relaxed with Shizuru's arm around her shoulders, their fingers intertwined, mouths connected, it just didn't seem like something he should be watching. Or interrupting with a stupid jab at their allies.

He got up and walked off to offer them some semblance of privacy in this pubic place, hands in his pockets.

"Leaving already?" Yukina asked, confusion clear on her face.

"Hn. I need to check in with Mukuro." Hiei informed her.

"You can't stay for dinner?" She pressed. "This is sudden."

"It's overdue." Hiei pointed out. "I'll be back when I can be."

She offered a quiet nod, looking as unconvinced as he felt. Hiei disappeared near immediately from the park.

 **There might be more of this later. I thought this was long enough. I might do a part 2. Anyway, enjoy this outtakes reel lmao**

 **-Wistful**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: This is completely random and silly and it is inspired by Galavant which I binge watched while my ankle was in recovery from a flare of tendinitis which put me on crutches. I hope everyone enjoys it if nothing else. it's a little...OOC and out there but it was fun to write.**

* * *

 **Rescue Mission**

"You're joking." Red eyes read the scroll in his hand with eyes full of incredulous disbelief. "Kurama got himself kidnapped? How the hell did that happen?"

"Don't yell at me! I'm just the messenger Hiei." Botan puffed her cheeks, hands moving to her hips. "All I know is that you're supposed to get him."

"I can read, Botan." Hiei looked up from the scroll with a glower. "Tell Urameshi to do this, he's more the hero type than I am. Also I don't want to go. If Kurama was dumb enough to get captured, then this is on him. Don't see why I have should have to clear my schedule to rescue him."

"Hiei." Botan glared at him. "I'm not leaving until you agree to do this."

"Oh gods." He rolled his eyes up to the sky then groaned. "Why do I have to?"

"Because Koenma said so."

"I don't listen to Koenma."

"Hiei."

"Botan."

"Hiei, go get Kurama."

"I don't want to. I don't want to spend so many days on the road. I'm bound to run into someone insufferable."

"Only room enough for one of those in your party?"

They stared at each other, both glaring.

"No." Hiei crossed his arms.

"Yes. This is how it goes Hiei, you're the hero, you go on an adventure to rescue the damsel in distress-"

"Kurama isn't a damsel."

"-and then you make a nice little merry group with the supporting cast you meet on the way and find it hard to separate at the end of the story so you figure it all out or there's a lot of unresolved tension that other people try to resolve in their own writings." Botan finished with her hands waving in the air. "That's how it is, that's how it goes, and you're going to play your part. Now. Stop arguing with me, go on your damn adventure or I'm going to tell everyone you were too scared to go."

Hiei bristled, nostrils flaring. "I'm not afraid, you nitwit. I just don't want to go."

"Fine. I'll ask Kuwabara."

"Tell Koenma I'm on my way."

* * *

Hiei picked his way through the forest with a permanent glower on his face, flitting from tree to tree headed for the supposed spot where Kurama was being kept. What the hell had this fox done that had landed him in this position? Kurama was the smartest idiot he knew, the fact someone was able to overcome him was mind boggling. Maybe he went willingly and this was all some sort of sham? Maybe he was playing a trick on Hiei.

Maybe they were _all_ playing a trick on him.

From what he knew of the land it would take him at least two weeks to get to Kurama. Who knew what he'd face along the way-

An arrow cut the tip of his nose embedding in the trunk of the tree whose branch he was balanced on. His head whipped to the side with fury lacing his crimson gaze. A group of bandits, one in the tree across the path from him with an arrow knocked on his bow aimed right at his face three more on the ground with various weapons. The arrow flew and Hiei blurred away to dodge it. He surged forward to attack the archer with a snarl. Once the demon hit the ground, the intense fall he took ending with a dull crack. Hiei landed on the ground with both feet to take on the other three when he noticed they were already bleeding out in various broken positions.

"That's bad for your knees."

Hiei spun around, sword drawn to face the metallic voice that sounded behind him, his shoes sliding through the blood-slicked dirt. Another sword brushed his to the side, the leather-armored figure parrying before thrusting their blade toward his throat, their eyes shadowed by their helmet.

"Calm down. I'm not your enemy." A voice rasped through metal.

Hiei knocked their weapon away and started to pace around in a circle, eyes narrowed. "Then why is your blade drawn?"

"You drew yours first."

"You snuck up behind me." Hiei growled thrusting forward to be matched once again. The other figure moved in a circle too, form and posture trained. Hiei noticed that he couldn't hear their footsteps which made him curious because he knew his were practically silent as well. "You're going to die just like your disgusting friends."

Hiei rushed forward and slashed only to be blocked and kicked in the stomach. When he swung around they knocked him back, spinning around so their arm locked his and with expert precision they disarmed him. Hiei snarled and yanked trying to free himself. They released him, shoving him back until his shoulders hit the trunk of a tree.

"Hot headedness is not a favorable trait." The figure reached up and pulled their helmet off to reveal long red hair with braids latticed throughout. Then they removed their metal mask which hid most of their face. Blue eyes glimmered at him, a smile that crooked to the left revealing a sharpened canine. Hiei blinked at the feminine features looking down at him. Given her height, over a half-foot taller than himself, he'd assumed his opponent was a man. Her armor also didn't give a hint as to her sex. What the everloving hell was this now? "No friends of mine sir. In fact I just finished dispatching them for attacking you. I can't stand by and watch defenseless creatures get attacked. I feel a compulsive need to intervene."

"You're a woman." Hiei stared. "Wait a minute. Do not call me defenseless, do you have any idea who I am?"

"No. Should I?" She shrugged and turned her face down the path the way he'd come. "You should find a way out that way. This place is riddled with thieves and bandits. This isn't for the faint of heart."

"I'm headed that way. I have something to do." He snapped at her. "I'm a bandit myself, you know. I don't need some woman coming out of nowhere dressed like a tacky knight trying to tell me what to do. I'm an S-class demon."

"You? A bandit?" She laughed. "But you're so small. That's an adorable dream, little one. Anyway, joking aside I sincerely advise you go back the way you've come."

"What are you even doing here?" He asked, crossed arms blocking off his body-language.

"I'm off to rescue someone. Apparently a soft looking man was kidnapped and brought this way and since I was bored I decided to take the case. Like I said, I'm drawn to protecting defenseless creatures. The prettier the better." Her toothy grin and wink made Hiei raise and eyebrow. She stooped down and plucked the coin bags from the waists of the bandits at her feet. She tossed them in the air then caught them in her palm before affixing them to her belt. "Well, have a safe trip little one."

"Wait." Hiei held up his hand and she paused. "You're telling me you're off to rescue Kurama too."

"Kurama?" She tilted her head. "Is that his name?"

"Greens eyes, red hair, insufferably intelligent and smug about it?" He described.

"Sounds lovelier with every word. Wonder how he'll repay me for saving him." She caught her bottom lip with her teeth. "Kurama. Lovely name. You seem to know a great deal about him."

"This is absurd." Hiei grumbled quietly. Louder he said, "Yes, of course I know him. I've known him for years. _I_ _'m_ rescuing him."

"If you know him so well, how did he wind up captured? Sounds like you're not very attentive." She put her hand on her sheathed sword, cocking her head to assess him. "Unless this is something you two do often? Is this a thing for you? He get's kidnapped, you rescue him, you two celebrate?"

Hiei took a second to catch her meaning then sputtered, his face red as beets.

"I never said it was like that!"

"So, he's not yours?"

"No!"

"Good." She patted him on the shoulder and started walking. "Then you won't get in my way. It's been a while since I've rescued someone and had them show me their gratitude. I'm looking forward to this."

"I just told you, _I_ _'m rescuing him_." Hiei stopped her.

"How about we do it together?" She offered, raking her eyes down him. Again that toothy left-side-crooked-grin graced her features and Hiei felt heat rise into his cheeks under her attention.

Goddamn, were all women this openly salacious? Not in his experience. What was her angle? Was she trying to pull something? He didn't trust that smile.

"No." Hiei decided quickly. "I can do this alone. I don't need you. I just need to find Kurama, kick his ass for being an idiot, and get back to my life."

"If you're that eager to get back to your life why don't you leave the rescuing to me?"

"Because if I don't do this people will think I'm a coward and I'm not a coward." He stated firmly. "You can go away now. I don't need help."

"Then I guess I'll just have to beat you there." She turned her attention back down the path with a smile. "See you at the gates little one."

"Don't call me that! I'm a fucking terrifying monster." He growled at her, fists at his sides. "I'm a general! I have done feats no other man before me has dared to! I fucking conquered the Black Dragon and consumed it!"

"That does not sound hygienic. You shouldn't eat dragons, sir. I'm fairly certain they are endangered." She scrunched up her face. "Not to mention reptiles carry a staggering amount of communicable diseases."

"Who are you?" Hiei asked her, perplexed.

"Just a wanderer." She winked at him. "No one of any importance."

"You said that in a very suspicious way." He told her.

"I'll be off then. Try not to die or get in my way. I have a very pretty man to go win the favor of." She started off again, swaggering off in her leather armor, helmet tucked under her arm.

"Oh no you don't." Hiei started after her. "I just told you that I'm the one who is doing the rescuing!"

"I offered to do this together." She kept walking. "You're the one who wouldn't concede. We're either allies or enemies love, your pick."

"Hey!" Hiei grabbed her arm and spun her around. "That isn't how this is going to work. This is my job, not yours."

"You're right. This is more of a hobby than anything else for me. Are you getting paid?" She seemed mildly impressed. "A professional hero isn't a job to sneeze at."

"What? No. I was blackmailed into this." He told her with a glower. "But that doesn't change anything. I'm saving Kurama and you're going back to whatever it was you did before."

"I think not." She made a face, grimacing. "I'm not exactly the order taking type, little one, and quite frankly I'm not that frightened of you as terrible as you claim to be. I have no reason to fear you. I also have no reason to listen to you."

"He's my ally."

"Then you shouldn't have lost him." She pulled a fruit from her pocket and took a bite out of it. "You sound awfully inept."

"Excuse you." Hiei growled. "I'm not Kurama's keeper. He's normally better at keeping himself out of trouble."

"Maybe he needs someone valiant to stand at his side and guide him through trouble." She smirked into the distance, fruit juice dripping down her chin. She wiped at it absently. "At least for a night."

"You're worse than most men I know." Hiei declared, in awe. "Really, you sound like a horny teenager."

"I haven't been one of those in quite some time." She snorted. "You're following me."

"I'm convincing you to drop this quest."

"You're not really." She told him with sympathy. "You're awfully bad at this. Are you sure you're a hero?"

"I'm not. I told you, I'm a bandit. I was merely blackmailed into this, but if I don't do it then-"

"Coward. Right. I remember." She rolled her eyes away. "It would be awfully brave of you to work with someone else. Honestly you'd be helping two people at once, wouldn't you? Me to find some brief sense of accomplishment and your friend by liberating him from his captors. That's the polar opposite of cowardice in my opinion."

Hiei considered it for a moment. He didn't trust her, nor did he care for her logic-bending but she did have an unfortunate point. If he took her along not only would he have accepted and completed this stupid quest but he'd have also done something no one would have considered him capable of: working as a team. That would really stick it to Botan and the others. He could show up with Kurama safe and sound and also tell them he went on an adventure with some random woman he met in the woods.

"You're right." Hiei's lips twisted up into a cruel grin. "You're absolutely right. The only way to get those idiots to understand I am capable of far more than they expect is to prove it outright. If I arrive to rescue Kurama with you at my side he'll tell the others. Maybe then they'll stop trying to rope me into these inane quests so I can finally be done with them."

"Small amendment. I'm arriving _you_ at _my_ side." She tossed her head side to side, chewing on another bite of her fruit. "Which, in and of itself isn't an uncomfortable idea for me. You have your own appeal."

He raised an eyebrow and glanced her way, roused from his thoughts. Deciding not to comment he let her have this one. If she thought she was the lead even better. Maybe she'd get herself into trouble and he'd have to save her as well. That would be a good story.

"We'll travel together." He told her. "But don't get ahead of yourself."

"Whatever you ask of me, little one." She smiled into her fruit before taking her last bite, disregarding the pit over her shoulder. "I assume you've plotted your route and have made your choices as to where you'd like to stop for camp as you go?"

"I was going to sleep in the trees."

She blew out a long breath of air. "Cool. Well, good luck with that. I'll set up camp tonight, but tomorrow we'll hit a small village that assuredly has a tavern and therefore an inn. I'll sleep there while you enjoy yourself getting eaten alive by blood hungry insects."

"A waste of time." He groused. "Who needs the accommodations of an inn?"

She shook her head without answering.

* * *

"I never asked and you never offered earlier, so, what is your name?" The woman craned her head back to stare at Hiei in his tree while she sat by a fire she'd made later that night.

"That's personal information." He told her, eyes closed as he lounged, prepared to sleep.

"What an odd name. Was that inherited from your mother or father?"

"I don't have a father."

"So your name is private but your back story is not." She teased him and earned a fiery glare. "What a strange little creature you are."

"Call me little one more time and I'll eviscerate you in your sleep." The warning came darkly from above.

"You have a lovely voice, has anyone ever told you that?" She asked him, turning her attention back to her fire. Her body was tucked in the roots of the tree he'd claimed, her helmet resting beside her, her sword resting with it's hilt against her shoulder and it's point between her feet.

"No."

"Too bad. It's a compliment worth paying." She commented.

Hiei looked at her from his perch. Her hair glowed in the fire light as thought it was molten itself. She had been rather upbeat their entire walk thus far. The conversation had been kept to a minimum until they'd stopped for the night. He'd advised her to sleep up in the trees, far safer than the ground. She'd commented that while she normally did sleep in the branches on her journeys she was feeling more stable in the roots at the moment. He found that so strange. It didn't bother him until she'd mentioned it that he didn't know her name either.

"What about you?" He asked dryly.

"I've been told my voice is lovely when I use it sparingly."

Hiei's eyebrow ticked. "I meant your name, woman."

"Well, it is definitely not woman." She remarked, settling into her sleeping position with her back against the trunk. "I believe you said names were private, didn't you? Fair begets fair sir."

"Don't call me sir."

"I have nothing else to call you as you insist I shouldn't call you little one."

Hiei didn't respond, frowning as he settled in too, eyes once again closing. Their conversation died even as the embers of their fire continued to burn.

* * *

The woman beamed as they entered a small dirty village. Demons gave them both wary, annoyed glances as they whispered amongst themselves in clumped groups. Hiei suspected that it was do to his crimson glare as he looked around and the woman's strange armor with that mask that covered her face and made it hard to discern her intentions or her gender. A man swaggering around like a hero boasted arrogance even without opening his mouth and Hiei knew that's what the townspeople saw in her. It was what he saw and he knew what lay beneath that mask. Hiei sneered as he followed beside the woman who seemed dead set on making her way to a tavern, knowing this entire day was going to be riddled with frustration and disaster. With delight she gestured to the filthy building before them.

"What did I tell you sir? A tavern and an inn." She told Hiei. "And you know what you find in an inn?"

"Bedbugs?" He shuddered at the thought.

"The innkeepers beautiful daughter." She ignored him and sauntered toward the door without waiting for him.

Hiei stayed behind for a second to sigh out his dull annoyance. This woman. It seemed she had exactly two things on her mind at any given moment: adventure and sex. He was again struck with the thought that she was worse than most men he knew. She was definitely more brazen than the women whose company he kept.

"A room, please." Hiei entered the tavern just as the woman made her request through her mask.

"No vacancies." The grizzled man behind the bar continued to clean the glass in his hands with a dirty cloth.

What a wonderful way to get tetanus, Hiei thought as he looked around. Or any number of communicable diseases. Not to mention stabbed, as the crowd of men and women in the musky tavern glared at the woman and now him.

"I see." She responded, reaching up to undo her mask to reveal her feminine face. With her voice no longer distorted by the metal filters of the mask she offered a subdued smile to the wide eyed barkeep. "Well, perhaps you'll at least allow me to buy a drink and a hot meal."

There was a beat where everyone looked around in pause waiting to hear his answer.

"Fine." He relented.

"Marvelous." She reached down and plucked a few coins from the handful of purses on her belt, offering them to him. "A meal for my traveling companion and myself, if you would and a drink for me."

"You've already overstayed your welcome here." Hiei commented at her side.

"It's natural to be suspicious of outsiders." She responded with a shrug. "They are right to be wary, I can't fault them for their instincts."

She took a seat at a table, setting her mask and helmet on the rough wood surface. She worked the clasps of her chest piece and soon that thudded against the bench she occupied, revealing a long-sleeved linen shirt of white under an indigo leather tunic. Hiei wondered, for only a fraction of a moment, how the armor had managed to so completely box and flatten her figure. Perhaps that's why she wore it, to prevent wandering eyes from assessing her as a female too quickly. It wasn't too long before a stein of beer was set on the table at her elbow by a young woman with grey skin, wide dark eyes and snow-white hair hanging free down her back.

"Well, aren't you a lovely vision after a long trip." The woman smiled that toothy grin and the girl's cheeks darkened. The redhead offered a coin and placed it delicately in the woman's palm, closing the others fingers around the piece of silver while maintaining sparkling eye contact.

Hiei wanted to gag but felt it would be a touch dramatic, even for him.

"Keep them coming." The woman purred, not bothering to hide the way she gazed down the other woman's body. "Maybe you'll even join me later."

The white-haired woman scurried away, but not without glancing back at the redhead with another deep blush.

"You are the actual worst." Hiei declared. "You're going to get us kicked out."

"You didn't want to be here anyway." She reminded him. "It wouldn't kill you to relax and enjoy the moment. All this complaining you do is bad for your health. Stress is a killer."

"Don't worry about my health."

She shrugged and sipped her beer. "Did you want a drink?"

"No. Getting drunk is sloppy, and it'll get you killed."

"Don't worry about _my_ health." She tossed back with a sly grin. He frowned at her. "You know, in this dingy light you're an attractive man."

Hiei pursed his lips and glared at her. As far as statements that wasn't even close to complimentary. He rolled his eyes. It wasn't like he cared. Maybe he could flee without her once she was well-and-drunk. He would wait until then, mainly because his stomach growled and while he looked away with from her stupid pleased face he had to admit a good meal would be nice. Pathetic. He should just get up and walk out, let the woman drink herself into a stupor, eat her weight in food, roll around with the innkeeper's daughter and while she was distracted with all that nonsense (which would surely get her killed) he could be halfway to Kurama and be done with all this. Still he remained waiting for his food.

She drained her beer and he wondered what her name was since she had decidedly not told him the night before. He'd need to know it so that when someone questioned if he knew her he could outright lie instead of just being perplexed.

Another drink appeared in her hand, switched out before she'd even lowered the stein. The white-haired woman smiled and then scurried off once again, the bartender grumbling for her to serve other customers.

"Do you always attract this much attention?" Hiei growled.

"It's hard not to with the hair." She shrugged, looking around. "Funny place this is. Taverns are normally more lively, don't you think?"

She leaned back on her bench and eyed the other burly looking patrons with a frown, squinting as she seemed to assess the room.

"They're keeping their heads down because they don't know us." She decided with pursed lips. "That simply won't do. I didn't come in here to make enemies."

"We're not here to make friends either." Hiei warned her. "Don't cause trouble woman. I will leave you here to bleed out if the need arises."

"I like a man who is honest with his intentions." She leered at him. "There is something incredibly intoxicating about that quality in my opinion."

"I'm not one of your bedmates, don't look at me like that."

"Oi! Barkeep!" She got to her feet and Hiei noticed her cheeks already turning a light shade of pink from the alcohol. "How much for a round?"

"For you?" He asked with a sneer.

"Nah, darling man, for everyone. I'd like to buy the house some drinks. What'll that run me?" Her clear words started to slip into an accent Hiei hadn't noticed before. "The air is too stiff, mate, we need to loosen it up. I want to hear laughter and shouting not the sound of my own breath."

He tossed her a price and she laughed at it then turned to face Hiei with wide open arms. "A paltry sum for quick friendship!"

"Don't rope me into your bullshit woman."

"That's not my name!" She laughed heartily then fished coins from one of the purses she carried. Tossing them onto the counter she watched the barkeeper's eyes widen and his throat move as he swallowed. "Three rounds it'll be then. Thrice the merriment for my new friends I hope."

She swept a bottle from his side of the counter, pulled it open with her teeth and winked at him.

"And this one for my table." Turning to the room she lifted her bottle and rather loudly spoke. "Drink your fill! Let's celebrate life mates!"

There were answering cheers and laughs as she confidently picked her way back to the table, several demons patting her back and shoulders as they passed her on their way to get their booze. Hiei glared instead of grinned, the suddenly warm atmosphere chaffing him.

"You should flaunt your money." He hissed quietly. "You're asking for trouble."

The woman held a finger up to him as she gulped from the bottle. He waited impatiently for her to come up for air. When she did it was with rosy cheeks and a blinding grin, her eyes sparkling.

"I'm inviting trouble." She leaned toward him. "I'm a big fan of it, actually. Keeps me spry. You don't seem like the sort to shy away from it so I wonder what your aversion is sir."

"I told you to stop calling me that."

"I told you I didn't have a choice." She reminded him. "Leave me here my man, if I bother you so much. We don't need each other for this quest."

"Why are you so sure of yourself?"

"I have no reason for doubt. I've never failed at something I've wanted to do." She hiccuped. "You really are handsome now that I look at you properly. Nice jaw. Pretty eyes. In shape."

Hiei stared at her, alarmed.

"Expressive." She hummed. "I could be in worse company."

"I'm not your company. We are not in the this together. I'm only keeping you around because it'll make me look good to my other allies." He warned her. "Do not assume things."

"Apologies sir." She pulled back as their dinner was served. With reddened cheeks and a fuzzy smile she peered up at the lovely woman who stood at her side. "Since there is no bed for rent my I borrow yours for the night?"

"Stop it." Hiei kicked her shin under the table, earning a hissed swear. A giggle answered the outburst.

"Not for the night." The woman responded with her own blush. "But maybe for an hour."

The redhead considered the offer and then grinned. "I accept that challenge. Keep my food on the plate mate, I'll be back in an hour."

She rose from the table and Hiei sighed heavily before tearing into the meet on his plate with vigor. He was not going to wait _an hour_ for that women to please herself and then also hang around for her to finish her meal. Why should he guard her plate? She's the idiot who flounced off. For his troubles he plucked a few things from her selection and dropped them amongst his own food. He might was well fill up while he could then he'd be on his way.

He absolutely was not going to wait.

Except he did. Inexplicably he remained, scowling, until the woman sauntered down the stairs looking ruffled and unkempt, her hair thoroughly mussed. She collapsed on her side of the table with clearer eyes than when she'd left and immediately began to shovel food into her mouth.

"I want to go." Hiei snapped at her. "Eat faster."

"Have a drink, it'll tame your nerves." She spoke around chewing.

"I said no."

"Maybe you should have a romp with someone, perhaps it'll improve your attitude." She suggested with a snort of laughter. "You're the most uptight man I've ever had to deal with."

"You're impudent. It annoys me."

She swallowed another swig from her bottle without responding, going back to eating. He watched her and realized she was, to her best ability, hurrying. That earned his suspicion.

"Did you do something." He demanded quietly.

"Here's the thing about innkeeper's daughters, as beautiful as they may be," she told him, "they all, unfortunately, have fathers."

The white-haired woman descended the stairs looking a little mussed herself but mostly put together. The man behind the bar glanced her way, then toward the redhead, then back and then his face turned purple as she and Hiei watched. Hurriedly she shoved the last of her food into her mouth, grabbed her things and turned to Hiei.

"Time to go." She bolted for the door as the man started bellowing in outrage and Hiei followed, angry with himself for not just leaving her there like he'd intended.

He had to admit it was rather funny watching the woman struggle into her armor as she tucked her clothes back into place, tripping as she ran because she wasn't paying attention. Lifting the bottle into the air she turned around and shouted, "Thanks for the meals mates, I look forward to coming again!"

"Bye!" The white-haired maiden cried out to which her father shouted indignantly.

Hiei outright laughed as the woman winked and began running again as someone threw something their

* * *

"I ate too fast." The woman panted, bent at the waist with her hands on her knees as she labored over stomach cramps. "And I didn't even get into a proper fight. She was lovely though, wasn't she?"

"Shameless." Hiei accused, watching her with humor. "You knew what would happen."

"I did." She admitted. "Do you think we could've taken the lot of them?"

"I could have."

"I like that confidence." She rose with a deep breath. "I've never lost a bar fight you know."

He figured she'd been in plenty so maybe that held clout. "I'll leave you behind next time. Much less trouble."

"I think you like the trouble, otherwise why would you have waited for me?" She teased Hiei, poking his chest before walking around him. Over her shoulder she grinned. "Let's get going. I wan to sweep your lovely sounding friend off his feet as soon as possible."

"I don't know if your Kurama's type." Hiei followed with his hands in his pockets. "I've never seen him take well to flirts and skirt-chasers."

"I'm more than my impish behavior implies." She explained, a hand waving through the air. "I'm actually quite a well rounded person, actually. I enjoy more educated pleasures than you'd assume. I love to read and write, I'm a gifted fighter, I enjoy helping people. And yes, I enjoy making trouble but only the manageable kind. Plus, perhaps, I was showing off a bit but it worked. I got what I wanted from it."

"And what was that? Other than a drink, a meal, and a bedfellow?" Hiei demanded.

"I made you laugh." She told him and the lilt of her teasing changed.

Hiei stopped, staring at her back. "What does that get you?"

"Nothing really, but it's good for you isn't it? To have a little fun? It was brief but for a moment you were relaxed and happy. Shame it cost me so much money to make happen."

He started walking again, considering her more seriously. "You're strange."

"Aye, I've met that accusation more than I care to admit."

"What do you do when you aren't turning entire bars against yourself?" He ventured to start a new conversation with less malice than any of their previous talks.

"Truthfully I only do that every now and then. I don't like upsetting whole towns too often, it doesn't breed great diplomatic relations. That one happened to be isolated enough I didn't think word of my behavior would get back to anyone. It's all about location, location, location." She explained moving her hands to her pockets as she looked up at the canopy and the random splotches of sunlight filtering through it. "I read a lot, about other lands and about adventures and laws. I train in archery and swordsmanship. I meet with people and shake their hands and get them to trust me at my word."

"You sound like a con artist."

"I feel like one some days." Her distracted answer lacked the warmth he'd come to expect of her voice. Hiei looked to the side at her, scrutinizing this change. "The fact of it is, most of my life I have to live up to the expectations of others. It's hard, being chained to the idealizations of others. Stifling, even. I much prefer wandering around like a vagrant."

"Wait, did you say diplomatic relations?" He asked her, suddenly confused.

Her eyes widened at the sound of a footstep not their own.

"Oh fuck." Shinpi grabbed Hiei, spinning them both around to hide behind a tree. His shoulders bit against the bark as she covered his mouth with her hand, eyes boring into his. Her expression clearly told him to keep quiet or forfeit his life.

Hiei pulled his brows down, not sure where this was coming from until footsteps crunched some leaves and twigs nearby.

"Hichi, I know you're close. Just come out here."

Shinpi pressed her lips together and used her other hand to raise a finger to her lips to indicate Hiei needed to keep quiet. He complied out of curiosity more than anything else.

"I'll find you, Hichi, you know that."

Who the fuck was Hichi, Hiei wondered.

A crow cawed behind them and the woman turned to look over her shoulder at it before closing her eyes in resolute annoyance.

"For the sake of the gods." She muttered, releasing Hiei and stepping to the side into view of their interloper. "Hai, how have you been? You look well."

"You ran off. _Again_." The man growled as Hiei listened still hidden behind the tree. "It's time to go home."

Hiei waited while wondering who exactly had come to fetch this insane woman. Was she married?

"I'm on an adventure Hai. I'm off to save someone. I'm not going home." Shinpi argued with a clear whine to her voice. "Honestly. Let me have this."

"You have duties to attend to. You were supposed to be visiting villages and greeting leaders, princess, not running off and getting into trouble. Your parents are concerned for you. Not to mention I've had to pick up your slack, _again._ "

"Because you sold me out!" She complained. "You're supposed to have my back!"

"I do! That's why I told them. You went missing! You can't just abandon your duties whenever you feel like it."

"You're a princess?" Hiei asked quietly from the safety of his refuge. Her eyes darted to him then away.

"Now is not the time." She muttered under her breath. "Stay out of this."

"You've had your adventure, we're going. I just came from a tavern that said you practically caused a riot." The man she called Hai approached on clumsy, loud feet. "Hichi, honestly, this is enough. It's time to get back to work."

Hiei caught sight of her expression, defeated and upset, and he rolled his eyes at his own crumbling fortitude. Dammit. He stepped around the tree into view and leveled the man with a harsh look. "She's not going anywhere. We're on the path to rescue someone and she's essential to me succeeding."

"Who are you?" The dark haired, sharp featured man demanded visibly put off by Hiei's sudden appearance.

"Hiei." Hiei told him firmly. "And she is coming with me. She can go home when her task is done. I'm not interested in keeping her away forever, just until we get my ally back."

Shinpi smiled at him and he glared at her.

"Don't ruin this." He warned her quietly. With a nod she agreed. "So, you can tell whoever you need to that the princess is in good hands."

Hai, as the woman called him, looked thoroughly ruffled. "Hichi, your new friend aside, you know you can't do this. You're needed to make sure the relationships between these lands and yours are stable."

"If father wanted someone stable he shouldn't have sent me." She beamed despite her absolutely strange words. "You'll do great Hai. I'll find you when I'm done! Just tell them you couldn't find me. That's what we did last time."

Last time, Hiei thought. Did she have a habit of running off?

He should've just let the man take her.

"Fine." Hai relented, large black wings unfurling from nowhere around him. His dark eyes settled on Hiei with a fiercely protective glare. "If anything happens to her while she's with you, just know, you'll have made an enemy of an entire territory."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Hiei smirked then clenching his right fist with intention. "But don't worry about it. I'll keep your little princess well guarded."

* * *

"Your name is Hiei. Hiei." The woman tried out the syllables with a thoughtful smile. "That's not what I expected. I suppose I thought you'd be named something more sinister, like Vincent."

"Vincent?" Hiei snorted. "Don't be ridiculous. My name is sinister because I have made it that way."

"I'm certain." She nodded.

"Hichi is a strange name, especially for royalty." He huffed, rolling his eyes toward her. "I would have thought you were in a guard of some kind with your armor, but it seems I've gotten myself mixed up with the heir to a kingdom."

"I've abdicated about six times now but they never take me seriously. I have no intention of ruling." She raked her fingers through her long red bangs, sighing. "I'd much rather just do this for the rest of my life. Wandering, getting a taste for the world and it's fruits. The world is far larger than my small homeland and I want to leave footprints all over it."

They walked in silence for a short while before she finally looked at him.

"My name is actually Amon-Shinpi Takani."

"That's a mouthful. Your parents must not like you very much."

She laughed. "They barely consider the meaning of names when they give them, I think. Mine is is so long and it is a mingle of different cultures and my sister's is so short and perfect for her. My brother has a middle name even though the rest of us don't."

"So, you're a princess who wants to be a wanderer, I'm a hero who wants to be at home and we're on our way to rescue a fox who wants to be a human." Hiei chuckled. "At least we're all in good company."

"Thank you for stepping in. When Hayato starts to guilt me I always succumb. He works hard to keep me in line and sometimes I feel very bad for him."

"That's a losing battle if I've ever heard of one."

She smirked then, devious and gleaming. "Yes, I suppose it is."

"So, what sort of princess carries a sword and loots the corpses of bandits?"

* * *

Hiei had openly decided not to use the woman's nickname nor her full name as both sounded too odd to him and if she wanted to pretend she was someone else what was the use of a name so familiar to her and anyone who knew her? So instead he called her Shinpi which she hadn't seemed to take exception to yet. Currently, they both sat in the higher branches of a tree decently enshrouded in it's large leaves so they couldn't be seen from below unless someone knew where to look. They sat at angles facing away from one another but her voice still carried as she quotes poetry to him from memory.

"Human poets feel a yearning I've yet to encounter elsewhere." She told him quietly, her eyes skyward. "We don't feel things so deeply. I think that's because our lives aren't quite so fleeting."

"You talk a lot." He told her, closing his eyes. "You should sleep. I'm leaving when I wake up."

"Sleep is for the comfortable." She breathed still staring at the sky. "Do you really not enjoy poetry?"

"I really don't."

"You should expand your horizons, Hiei, there's nothing wrong with growing."

"Stop talking."

* * *

The forest at the foot of the mountain upon which satthea stone fortress where Kurama was supposedly held captive was unruly if one were to describe it mildly. The plants were wild, overgrown, and hungry seeming. They made noises as Hiei and Shinpi slashed their way through them, both planting.

"Kurama, goddammit." Hiei muttered.

He now had the suspicion that Kurama wasn't so much as a captive as the tyrant in this tale. Perhaps he'd been kidnapped at first but holding him so close to so many plants had been a mistake. As a vine attempted to grab his ankle, Hiei surged away toward a rickety rope bridge. The woman, Shinpi, rushed after him as her sword cut through a particularly vicious breed of ivy. They stopped just before the wood slats of the bridge, Hiei facing the fortress beyond the mote and Shinpi standing ready behind him, poised to attack any more vegetation.

"What are you waiting for?" She demanded of him. "Get going!"

"The bridge isn't stable." Hiei swallowed, looking down at the water.

"And?" She turned to look at him and then stopped, noting his constricted pupils. "Wait. Are you hydrophobic?"

"What?"

"Afraid of water."

"No! I'm not afraid of anything. I just-I'm not eager to drown. This bridge will collapse underneath our weight for certain. We have to find-"

Hiei made a sound of distress he would deny even with his denying breath as the woman behind him scooped him into her arms and started running over the swaying bridge and the cracking wood that fell under her feet just after she stepped on the slats. Her speed was impressive, Hiei had to admit, but the fact she carried him like he was a child made him snarl at her with a string of curses.

"I can leave you to find your own way." She told him seriously.

"I'm good." Hiei relented, stopping his struggling in her grasp. "We should find Kurama."

"That's what I thought."

"Don't get cocky." He shoved her away as soon as they were once again on solid ground. "Just because you don't have common sense when it comes to recognizing danger doesn't mean you get to act high and mighty."

"There's no danger from a little water." She stood on the lip of the land before it dropped off into the mote, her hand gesturing to the side. At her motion a geyser rose from the surface and held there then disappeared when she lowered her hand. "Not when I'm around at least."

"You can control it?" Hiei stared at her, surprised.

"Well, yeah. I'm an elemental. I can control air too."

"Huh." He blinked.

"And besides adorable, what are you?"

"I told you, I consumed the dragon." He dulled. "I'm the wielder of the dragon flame and the user of the Jagan eye."

She squinted at him, tilted her head to the side then shrugged and walked passed him. "Right. Jagan eye and dragon flame. Got it. Whatever those things mean. Where's your friend, do you think? Don't they normally hold captives in the top of the tower or something?"

"Hey! The Black Dragon is the most menacing, prolific beast in the underbelly of Spirit World! And I tamed it! Don't pretend this is nothing. I am incredibly powerful." He followed her as she walked. "Not to mention psychic."

"Psychic?" She turned on him. "Then can't you just reach out to your friend so we can find him?"

Hiei nodded, lifting his bandanna to do so, ignoring her babbling.

"It's so quiet in here. And there are vines all over the place. This isn't what I expected." She put her hands on her hips as she began picking her way through the hall without Hiei. "How strange, really. I expected more resistance. Isn't there normally more resistance?"

"Shut up so I can concentrate." Hiei grumbled then opened all three of his eyes with annoyance. His head turned to the side to regard a second redhead. "Kurama, you bastard."

Shinpi turned to look down the other way, following Hiei's attention, as Kurama regarded them both with a book in his hand. The fox snapped his book closed and offered a happy smile to them.

"Hiei! I'm surprised to see you. You didn't come all this way for me, did you?" Kurama asked him with that same annoying smile.

"Of course I did! Botan showed up and blackmailed me into coming to get you. You jackass. How did you even manage to get kidnapped?" Hiei demanded with a snarl. "Do you have any idea what you've put me through?"

"Are you sure you two aren't together?" Shinpi asked with humor. "You sound like a nagging wife."

"Oh shut up!" Hiei whirled on her.

"And you are?" Kurama looked around Hiei to get a look at the woman.

"Amon-Shinpi Takani, princess of Sayol, rescuer of you." She tucked her hand against her stomach and struck a bow for him before rising and walking closer under she could sweep his hand into her own, lifting his knuckles to her lips so she could kiss them. "Kurama. Your friend's silence on you has only fed my curiosity. I am so blessed to see such a lovely face today."

To Hiei's surprise, Kurama blushed, allowing the women to hold his hand. She released him with a sly grin.

"Lovely." She repeated, her eyes twinkling. "Hiei is his own vision, but you are something else."

"You've been traveling with Hiei? To rescue me?" Kurama asked her, surprised. "Hiei doesn't normally take to strangers."

"I can see that." She nodded.

"I'm proud of you." Kurama turned to Hiei. "Learning to work with someone else is good for you, Hiei. Thank you for coming to get me. I was starting to wonder if anyone would. I'm glad it was you."

The way Kurama spoke made Hiei turn his face away, a light dusting of pink on his cheeks. "Shut up, fox. Let's go."

"Well." Shinpi countered, turning to Hiei. "Before we go-"

"You know what, go ahead. Ask him." Hiei smirked. "I'd like to see you get rejected."

"Rejected?" Kurama frowned, glancing at the woman."

"I was hoping I might at least get a kiss from you, for our trouble." Shinpi turned to Kurama with a soft look. "I wouldn't want to force you, of course. It's just, you're so incredibly beautiful and you're reading poetry. It would mean something to me."

"A kiss?" Kurama frowned stepping closer. "You came all this way with Hiei to ask me for a kiss?"

"I was mostly joking before with him, but then I saw the Emily Dickenson in your hand and thought I'd risk asking." She admitted softly. "I think he's a little worried you might say yes. He seems to think highly of you."

"As he should, we've known each other for some time." Kurama nodded stopping just in front of her. "He must find you to be something worth bothering with as well, if he'd kept you around. I hope you understand what a high compliment he's paid you."

"He's not too bad himself." She looked down the fox slowly, then back up. "You look either ready to kill me or kiss me, and the anticipation of learning which is starting to distract me."

Kurama smiled and yanked her closer by her shirt planting a kiss on her lips that made her eyes roll closed. Hiei made a noise, surprised and a little envious. He had never expected Kurama to actually play into this charade. When the two of them separated they had to catch their breath for a second. Shinpi's eyes were heavy lidded, her smile dopey.

"Worth it." She mumbled happily.

"What about you, Hiei?" Kurama asked him.

Hiei blushed and huffed, glaring away. "What about me?"

Kurama grabbed him and pulled him to his toes, kissing him as well until the fire demon melted a little and kissed him back. Once they parted both of them sighed.

"If we make it back home in one piece, maybe I can repay both of you in full." Kurama offered with a grin. "If that's something you'd be interested in."

He started walking toward the exit, book in hand, leaving Hiei and Shinpi stunned behind him. She recovered first, trotting after him like a happy puppy. "I like the sound of that!"

Hiei took another second, then he came to with full bluster.

"You're both idiots! I never said I wanted to spend any more time with either of you! This was it, this was the end of my job!" He yelled. "You're on your own."

"Good luck crossing the mote then." Shinpi turned to him at the door, eyebrow raised.

Hiei balked then followed quickly. "Fine. We'll cross together. We might as well get home but after that both of you can fuck off."

"I thought that was the plan." Shinpi muttered, glancing at Kurama who grinned her way. "Get you home, get shown some appreciation, go on with adventuring."

"Bold of you to assume you'll be in a state to do anything." Kurama boasted and started walking over the water bridge she'd made to allow them to escape. Shinpi offered a delighted squeal and trotted closer to him, her grin blinding. Hiei followed after them, carefully.

"Annoying." He complained about both of them. Still, he smirked when they weren't looking. Botan's order hadn't prepared him for any sort of reward. If that was on the table he could honestly get used to this hero business.


End file.
